UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   SAN  D  EGO 


3  1822027726546 


• 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OP 

CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


&<HS^7S' 

:*M§&X>' 


3         iMKTYOfC  «?"!<*  iSltlSlflliii 


31822027726546 


SWORD  AND  PEN 


OR 


A  Young  War  Correspondent's 
Adventures 


'Centerboard  Jim,"  "Won  at  West  Point,"  "King  of  the  Island," 
"  Ensign  Merrill,"  etc. 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
STREET  &  SMITH,  PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  190* 
By  STREET  &  SMITH 

Sword  and  Pen 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I. — In  which  I  Receive  an  Important  Assign 
ment     5 

II. — In  which  I  Meet  Alfred  Montague  Forbes  13 

III. — In  which  I  Make  an  Important  Discovery  .  21 

IV. — In  which  I  Meet  Osaki         ...  30 

V. — In  which  I  Renew  an  Acquaintance        .  39 

VI,— In  which  Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship  48 

VII. — In  which  we  are  Attacked        .         .         -55 

VIII. — In  which  we  are  Again  in  Luck's  Way  67 

IX. — In  which  we  Meet  with  a  Surprise    .         .  73 

X. — In  which  we  Make  the  Acquaintance  of 

Jack  Bunce 79 

XI. — In  which  Osaki  Makes  an  Alarming  Dis 
covery  .85 

XII. — In  which  we  Prepare  for  the  Rescue.  91 

XIII. — In  which  we  Rescue  Forbes  .  .  .97 
XIV. — In  which  we  Sight  Ping  An  .  .  104 

XV.  —  In  which  I  Forsake  the  Pen  for  the  Sword  no 
XVI.— In  which  I  Help  Attack  a  Fort  .  .116 

XVII. — In  which   Forbes  Receives  a   Lesson    in 

Fencing     .         .         .         .         .         .122 

XVIII.— In  which  Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River     .  128 


ii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX. — In  which  I  Lose  One  Friend  and  Meet 

Another 134 

XX. — In  which  Danger  Again  Threatens        140 

XXI. — In  which   I  have  an  Unpleasant   Ex 
perience    .         .         .         .         .         .148 

XXII.— In  which  I  Send  my  First  Dispatch   155 

XXIII. — In  which  we  Find  a  Novel  Hiding- 
place         162 

XXIV. — In  which  we  are  Captured  and  Carried 

Off  to  a  Mysterious  Fate        .         .  167 

XXV. — In  which  we  Prepare  to  Play  a  Desperate 

Game 173 

XXVI. — In  which  we  are  Received  with  Undue 

Warmth 180 

XXVII. — In  which  I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery      185 

XXVIII. — In  which  I  Make  Good  My  Escape  from 

Camp  .         .  .193 

XXIX.— In  which  I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle  and 

Meet  an  Old  Friend        .         .         .199 

XXX. — In  which  we  Run  Into  Warm  Quarters     206 

XXXI. — In  which  the  Schooner  is  Saved     .         .212 

XXXII.— In  which    I  Receive  Startling  News      218 

XXXIII.— In  which  we  are  Boarded  by  an    Old 

Acquaintance 224 

XXXIV. — In  which  Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited    230 

XXXV. — In  which  we  Hear  Good  News  and  are 

Placed  in  Jeopardy   ....  236 

XXXVI. — In  which  Forbes  Turns  Up  Unexpectedly  242 
XXXVII— Conclusion 248 


SWORD  AND  PEN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IN    WHICH    I    RECEIVE    AN    IMPORTANT    ASSIGNMENT. 

"Stanley,  you  are  a  lucky  dog." 

"What  is  up  now,  Mr.  Burnett  ?" 

"The  old  man  wishes  to  see  you  at  once." 

"Well,"  I  laughed,  "I  hardly  see  how  such  a  summons 
should  cause  you  to  say  that  I  am  a  fortunate  canine,  as  it 
were.  Jn  fact,  I  am  afraid  it  means  just  the  opposite. 
No  doubt  Mr.  Parker  has  a  severe  lecture  in  store  for  me." 

"Is  that  so?  Well,  I  only  wish  I  were  in  your  place, 
that's  all,"  and  my  companion  gave  me  an  unmistakably 
envious  glance. 

This  piqued  my  curiosity.  That  something  out  of  the 
common  was  impending  was  plainly  evident.  Mr.  Jared 
Parker,  managing  editor  of  a  certain  well-known  New 
York  daily,  and  president  of  the  newly  organized  Con 
solidated  Press  Association  of  the  United  States,  was  not 
the  man  to  communicate  with  his  subordinates  unless  he 
had  something  of  great  importance  in  hand. 

Added  to  this  was  the  fact  that  he  had  actually  sent  his 
private  secretary  to  the  reporters'  room  to  request  my 
presence  without  delay.  Such  a  proceeding  was  simply 


6  An  Important  Assignment. 

unheard  of  in  the  office,  and  my  brother  employees  cast 
wondering  glances  at  me  as  I  rose  to  obey  the  august 
summons. 

That  Mr.  Burnett  was  in  the  secret,  his  official  position 
gave  proof,  but  he  paid  no  attention  to  my  looks,  and  si 
lently  led  the  way  to  the  managerial  sanctum. 

Mr.  Parker  was  seated  at  his  desk  near  a  broad,  open 
window.  He  glanced  up  when  we  entered,  and  then  im 
mediately  resumed  the  reading  of  a  paper  spread  out  be 
fore  him.  He  was  a  little  man,  stoop-shouldered,  and 
with  a  high,  bulging  forehead  which  betokened  great 
mental  power. 

His  main  characteristic,  as  will  be  seen  later,  was  brev 
ity.  When  he  spoke,  his  words  were  sharp  and  to  the 
point.  So  were  his  writings,  as  the  reading  public  can 
testify. 

After  a  moment  of  delay  he  beckoned  me  to  advance, 
which  I  did,  not  without  some  fear  and  trembling.  Where 
I  stood  the  light  from  the  window  fell  full  upon  my  face. 

The  great  man  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  calmly  pro 
ceeded  to  make  a  close  scrutiny  of  my  features.  His 
deep-set  eyes,  piercing  in  intensity,  probed  me  through 
and  through,  and  the  effect  was  such  that  I  was  on  the 
verge  of  a  mental  collapse  when  he  finally  motioned  me 
to  a  seat. 

Referring  to  a  document  drawn  from  a  pigeon-hole,  he 
suddenly  asked : 

"Stanley  Bennett  is  your  name?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied. 

"Hum!    American;  aged  nineteen;  an  orphan;  been 


An  Important  Assignment.  7 

in  our  employ  two  years.  Hum !  A  good  writer ;  has 
traveled  some ;  is  brave  and " 

He  stopped  and  glanced  at  me  with  a  frown.  I  had 
coughed  with  embarrassment.  I  could  not  help  it,  being 
thus  compelled  to  sit  and  silently  listen  to  my  pedigree 
and  supposed  attributes. 

"Is  brave  and  discreet  beyond  his  years,"  continued 
Mr.  Parker,  reading  the  record  as  if  it  were  the  descrip 
tion  of  a  prize  bulldog.  "Hum!  Let  me  see.  You 
worked  up  that  affair  of  the  counterfeiter's  gang,  eh?" 

I  nodded  respectfully. 

"And  you  acted  as  special  correspondent  for  us  in 
Brazil  during  the  last  revolution,  doing  your  work  very 
creditably  ?" 

I  nodded  again,  wondering  what  under  the  sun  all  this 
meant.  The  prospect  of  a  promotion  and  a  consequent 
increase  of  salary  caused  me  to  smile  inwardly  with  pleas 
urable  anticipation. 

"Well,  you  will  do.  You  are  just  what  we  want.  Be 
ready  to  leave  for  Japan  by  eight  o'clock  this  evening." 

I  gave  a  gasp  and  half  rose  from  my  chair. 

"I — I  beg  your  pardon,  sir.     I " 

"I  said,  be  ready  to  leave  New  York  for  Japan  this 
evening,"  repeated  Mr.  Parker,  a  trifle  irritably.  "Mr. 
Burnett  will  give  you  your  orders  and  the  necessary  in 
formation.  Good-day." 

I  followed  the  private  secretary  into  his  office  as  if  in 
a  dream.  My  companion  closed  the  door  and  then  gave 
me  a  friendly  shake. 

"Stanley,  wake  up.     It  is  all  true.     Ha !  ha !     You  look 


8  An  Important  Assignment. 

as  if  you  were  completely  dazed,  and  small  wonder. 
What  do  you  think  of  this  as  an  assignment  for  a  young 
fellow?" 

"Was  he  joking?"  I  asked,  feebly. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  Now  sit  down  here  and  pay  strict 
attention  to  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you,  for  it  is,  in  truth, 
most  important." 

"Going  to  Japan  to-night.  Great  Greeley !  what  a  sur 
prise.  I  can  hardly  believe  it." 

"It  is  so,  nevertheless.  You  are  to  be  sent  there  by 
the  Consolidated  Press  Association  as  war  correspondent, 
and  your  services  in  that  position  begin  at  once.  Mr 
Parker  has  given  me  full  details,  which  I  will  now  trans 
fer  to  you." 

"Then  I  am  to  leave  the  employ  of  the  paper?"  I  in 
terrupted. 

"Yes.  The  difficulty  of  obtaining  authentic  news  from 
the  seat  of  war  has  caused  the  association  to  resolve  to 
send  a  reliable  man  there  at  once.  The  hostilities  between 
China  and  Japan  promise  to  last  for  a  considerable  time, 
and  the  results  are  bound  to  be  of  the  greatest  interest  to 
the  world." 

"And  especially  to  the  Americans,  who  are  simply 
rapacious  for  the  latest  news." 

"That's  right.  Now,  there  is  one  great  trouble  which 
you  will  have  to  contend  against,  and  which  is  going  to 
require  all  your  intelligence  and  wit.  Both  Japs  and  the 
Chinese  are  doing  their  utmost  to  withhold  information 
of  the  campaign  from  the  outside  world.  Garbled  reports 


An  Important  Assignment.  9 

are  sent  forth  by  each  country,  but  what  we  want  and 
must  have  is  the  truth." 

"It  will  be  a  difficult  job,"  I  remarked,  shaking  my 
head. 

"Yes — as  a  war  correspondent,"  pointedly  replied  my 
companion.  "But  you  are  not  going  to  appear  in  that 
capacity.  You  must  assume  some  disguise  and  travel 
incog,  as  it  were.  I  think  the  best  plan  would  be  to  take 
the  part  of  a  rich  young  American  eager  to  see  something 
of  the  fighting." 

"A  rich  young  American?  Humph!  that  means  lots 
of  money." 

The  secretary  smiled  carelessly. 

"You  will  have  almost  unlimited  credit,  my  boy.  I 
will  supply  you  here  with  enough  funds  to  carry  you 
to  Yokohama,  and  you  will  find  there  a  further  sum 
awaiting  you.  Don't  worry  yourself  about  that  part  of 
it.  All  you  will  have  to  do  is  to  act  up  to  the  part  in 
a  liberal  manner,  and  keep  us  supplied  with  the  news." 

"Great  Greeley !  why  do  they  intrust  me  with  such  a 
responsible  mission,  Mr.  Bennett?  There's  Woods  and 
Johnson  and  Cross.  They  are  all  much  older  than  I,  and 
have  had  more  experience." 

"Just  the  reason  why  you  have  been  selected.  They 
are  entirely  too  old.  Their  very  age  would  cause  them 
to  be  instantly  suspected.  Who  on  earth  would  think  that 
a  happy-go-lucky  youth  of  nineteen,  chasing  around  the 
world  for  fun  of  it,  was  a  special  correspondent?  It  is 
really  a  splendid  scheme,  this  sending  a  youngster." 

I  admitted  the  truth  of  his  remark,  still  the  responsi- 


io  An  Important  Assignment. 

bility  seemed  rather  more  than  I  cared  to  bear.  How 
ever,  it  was  a  great  chance  to  make  a  name  for  myself, 
and  to  follow  my  chosen  profession,  and  I  hadn't  the 
least  idea  of  refusing  the  assignment. 

"Now,  another  thing  which  you  will  have  to  guard 
against,"  continued  Mr.  Burnett,  speaking  impressively, 
"is  this :  We  have  recently  received  information  that  the 
British  Press  Association  of  London  has  also  sent,  or  is 
going  to  send  a  correspondent  to  Corea.  You  know  of 
the  rivalry  existing  between  us.  They  claim  the  latest 
news  and  so  do  we.  They  are  in  thorough  sympathy 
with  China  in  this  war,  and  we  side  with  Japan.  Nat 
urally  they " 

"Will  try  to  prevent  us  sending  dispatches  or  obtain 
ing  information  of  any  kind,"  I  interrupted,  a  light  break 
ing  over  me. 

"Exactly.  I  see  that  you  understand  the  situation. 
Now,  what  you  must  do  is  to  look  out  for  this  other  cor 
respondent,  and  use  your  utmost  skill  in  circumventing 
him.  Mr.  Parker  has  intrusted  a  great  deal  to  you,  but, 
really,  Stanley,  I  don't  think  that  he  has  made  a  mistake." 

I  reached  over  and  warmly  shook  the  secretary's  hand. 
He  had  been  a  friend  of  mine  ever  since  I  entered  the 
service  of  the  paper,  and  I  owed  much  of  my  success  to 
him. 

"Thank  you,  Mr.  Burnett.  You  will  excuse  me  if  I 
fail  to  express  my  deep  gratitude  to  you  as  I  should,  but 

I  am  really  so  confused  by  this  affair  that  I Great 

Greeley!  am  I  actually  going  to  Japan  and  Corea  and 


An  Important  Assignment.  n 

China  as  a  war  correspondent?  If  so,  the  ambition  of 
my  life  has  been  satisfied." 

"You  will  not  find  the  career  altogether  a  path  of 
roses,"  kindly  replied  the  secretary,  smiling.  "You  will 
be  in  almost  constant  danger.  The  responsibility  will 
keep  you  from  sleeping  o'  nights,  and  you  will  find  plenty 
of  hardships  and  little  glory.  I  said  a  while  ago  that  I 
envied  you,  but,  by  Jove !  I  don't  know  that  I  do." 

After  a  moment  of  further  conversation  I  prepared  to 
leave  for  my  lodgings.  I  had  barely  five  hours  before 
the  departure  of  my  train — little  enough  to  make  ready 
for  a  trip  of  more  than  eight  thousand  miles ! 

Mr.  Burnett  informed  me  that  I  would  have  several 
days  in  San  Francisco  in  which  to  purchase  the  clothing 
and  other  necessary  adjuncts  to  my  disguise  as  a  rich 
young  American.  He  also  said  that  he  would  meet  me 
at  the  train  with  a  letter  containing  my  instructions  in 
detail. 

As  I  left  the  office  and  joined  the  moving  throng  out 
side,  I  was  compelled  to  pinch  myself  to  see  whether  I 
was  really  awake.  A  fellow  reporter  followed  me  to  the 
door  and  asked  for  news. 

"What  is  up,  Bennett?"  he  queried,  curiously.  "Been 
getting  in  trouble?" 

"No.  Going  on  a  little  trip  for  Mr.  Parker,  that's  all," 
I  replied,  in  a  careless  tone.  "Won't  see  you  for  a  while, 
old  boy.  Say  good-by  to  the  rest  of  the  fellows  for  me, 
will  you?" 

With  that  I  left  and  took  an  "L"  train  to  my  home. 
I  would  have  been  glad  to  -tell  him  all  about  it — in  fact, 


12  An  Important  Assignment. 

I  was  aching  to  confide  in  some  one,  but  I  recognized 
the  extreme  necessity  of  keeping-  my  business  a  secret 
from  the  very  start. 

There  were  no  home  ties  to  break.  Alas !  they  had 
been  severed  years  before.  I  bade  farewell  to  my  few 
acquaintances,  and  reached  the  station  in  ample  time. 
Presently  Mr.  Burnett  joined  me.  We  conversed  until 
the  moment  of  leaving,  then  he  gave  me  the  written  in 
structions,  my  ticket,  and  a  large  sum  of  money,  in  fact 
more  than  I  had  ever  had  in  my  possession  previously. 

A  moment  later  I  was  speeding  out  into  the  night, 
bound  on  a  momentous  journey,  the  end  of  which  lay 
hidden  in  the  mistv  realms  of  the  Orient. 


CHAPTER  II. 

IN    WHICH    I    MEET    ALFRED    MONTAGUE    FORBES. 

As  can  be  imagined,  very  little  sleep  visited  my  eyes 
that  first  night  of  the  trip.  I  lay  and  tossed  in  my  berth, 
thinking  over  the  events  of  <the  day  and  trying  to  realize 
my  marvelous  change  of  fortune,  until  a  warning  snort 
from  above  indicated  that  a  greater  degree  of  quietness 
would  be  appreciated  by  my  neighbors. 

By  the  time  we  reached  Chicago  I  had  accustomed  my 
self  to  the  different  state  of  affairs,  and  began  to  look 
forward  "to  the  scenes  of  my  new  duties  with  feverish 
impatience. 

This  was  not  my  first  experience  as  a  war  correspond 
ent,  as  Mr.  Parker  had  stated.  I  had  spent  several 
months  in  Brazil,  but  only  as  an  assistant  to  the  regular 
man,  and  the  position  had  not  allowed  much  freedom  of 
action  or  responsibility. 

Now — whew !  it  made  my  head  whirl  to  think  of  it — 
I  had  been  sent  forth  to  face  the  stupendous  task  of  re 
porting  half-savage  battles  in  a  barbarous  country,  and 
— hardest  work  of  all — to  see  that  my  dispatches  left 
for  their  destination  despite  the  hindrance  of  both  com 
batants  ! 

True,  I  had  been  intrusted  with  ample  funds,  and 
money  can  do  a  great  deal,  but  would  the  powerful  in- 


14  Alfred  Montague  Forbes. 

fluence  of  the  almighty  dollar  aid  me  to  any  extent  among 
the  uncivilized  tribes  of  Corea? 

As  yet  I  had  not  studied  my  written  instructions  very 
carefully.  While  the  train  was  waiting  in  the  station 
at  Chicago  I  glanced  over  the  important  document  given 
me  by  Mr.  Burnett. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  quote  it  in  detail.  It  included 
a  carefully  prepared  cipher  code  for  cabling,  and  also 
letters  of  introduction  to  certain  bankers  and  prominent 
American  business  men  in  Yokohama  and  Shanghai. 

The  latter  were  to  identify  me  in  my  disguise  as  a 
gilded  youth  in  search  of  adventure,  and  were  written 
by  several  well-known  New  Yorkers,  directors  of  the 
Press  Association.  Everything  had  been  foreseen  and  at 
tended  to  by  the  able  president,  Mr.  Parker.  Even  a 
typewritten  list  of  the  most  common  words  in  the  Japan 
ese,  Chinese,  and  Corean  languages  had  been  added. 

This  I  intended  to  study  on  board  the  steamer  while 
en  route  tp  Japan,  but  I  must  confess  I  had  little  hope 
of  mastering  the  intricate  sentences.  Presently,  finding 
the  delay  growing  monotonous,  I  left  the  car  and  began 
to  walk  up  and  down  outside. 

In  the  Union  Depot  at  Chicago  the  tracks  are  laid  at 
a  level  with  the  floor,  there  being  no  raised  platforms 
between  them  as  in  the  majority  of  stations.  Passing 
from  one  train  to  another  is  a  process  not  unaccompanied 
by  danger,  as  the  arrivals  and  departures  are  frequent. 

While  pacing  back  and  forth,  my  attention  was  sud 
denly  called  to  several  coaches  which  a  shunting  engine 
was  backing  rapidly  down  the  track  next  to  me.  At 


Alfred  Montague  Forbes.  15 

the  same  moment  I  noticed  a  young  man  clad  in  English 
tweed  advancing  toward  the  train  I  had  just  left. 

He  was  walking  slowly  and  seemed  oblivious  of  the 
approaching  cars.  Three  more  steps  and  he  would  be 
directly  in  their  way.  The  danger  was  imminent.  A 
warning  shout  came  from  a  trainman  on  the  rear  plat 
form,  but  the  youth  did  not  hear  it. 

With  my  heart  in  my  throat,  I  ran  forward,  frantically 
waving  my  hand.  The  signal  was  unnoticed,  and  in  an 
other  moment  he  would  have  been  beneath  the  wheels 

if Gathering  myself  together,  I  sprang  upon  him, 

and  we  rolled  in  the  dust  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
track  over  which  the  coaches  were  passing. 

A  crowd  gathered  instantly,  but  we  did  not  require 
any  assistance.  I  regained  my  feet  first,  and  picking  up 
a  well-filled  satchel,  which  had  been  knocked  from  the 
young  man's  hands,  passed  it  to  him  as  he  scrambled 
erect. 

He  seemed  dazed  for  a  moment,  then  recovering,  he 
produced  a  single  eyeglass  and  coolly  scrutinized  me. 
Finally  he  said,  with  a  pronounced  drawl: 

"By  Jove!  you  are  rather  abrupt  in  your  manners, 
don't  you  know.  What  do  you  mean  by  jostling  me, 
sir?" 

Seeing  that  he  had  no  realization  of  his  narrow  escape, 
I  pointed  to  the  coaches,  which  had  come  to  a  stand-still, 
and  smiled. 

"You  will  pardon  me  for  being  so  rude,  sir,"  I  said, 
"but  I  was  compelled  to  take  extreme  measures." 

The  truth  dawned  upon  him,  and  he  paled  slightly. 


1 6  Alfred  Montague   Forbes. 

Then,  to  my  surprise  and  disgust,  he  drew  a  wallet  from 
his  pocket  and  tendered  me  several  bills. 

"My  good  fellow,  I  am  sincerely  obliged  to  you,  don't 
you  know.  By  Jove!  I  might  have  been  ground  to 
pieces.  Ugh !  it  makes  me  shiver  to  think  of  it.  What ! 
you  won't  accept  this  trifle  ?  Then  permit  me  to  give  you 
my  card.  If  I  have  offended  you,  I  apologize,  don't  you 
know." 

This  last  was  said  in  such  a  frank  tone  that  I  was  com 
pelled  to  accept  the  bit  of  pasteboard.  A  rapid  glance 
showed  me  that  it  read: 

ALFRED  MONTAGUE  FORBES, 

London,  England. 

Seeing  that  the  crowd  was  rapidly  increasing,  I  hastily 
asked  my  new  acquaintance  to  accompany  me  to  the  train. 
As  we  reached  the  step  of  the  parlor  car,  a  warning  signal 
indicated  that  the  moment  of  departure  was  at  hand. 

"Are  you  traveling  by  this  road?"  I  said,  pausing  on 
the  platform. 

"Yes.  San  Francisco  is  my  destination,"  he  replied, 
lightly  gaining  my  side.  "I  hope  I  will  have  you  for  a 
fellow  voyager,  don't  you  know.  Are  you  bound  West  ?" 

"To  the  Pacific  coast,"  I  responded,  briefly,  leading  the 
way  inside. 

He  selected  a  seat  near  mine,  and  proceeded  to  make 
himself  comfortable  with  the  air  of  one  thoroughly  ac 
customed  to  traveling  in  all  climes.  His  face  was  rather 
prepossessing,  but  there  was  a  certain  peculiar  glitter 


Alfred  Montague   Forbes.  17 

about  his  cold  gray  eyes  that  did  not  set  well  with  his 
affected  actions  and  speech. 

He  appeared  to  be  not  more  than  twenty-one  or  two 
years  of  age  and  wore  a  small  blonde  mustache,  which 
had  been  carefully  waxed  and  combed.  After  a  while 
he  glanced  up  and  smiled  in  a  most  friendly  manner. 

"Really,  I  cannot  find  words  to  sufficiently  express  my 
gratitude  to  you,  Mr. — er " 

"Bennett — Stanley  Bennett,  of  New  York,"  I  said, 
hastily  handing  him  my  card. 

In  the  excitement  I  had  forgotten  to  return  his  courtesy. 

"Well,  Mr.  Bennett,  as  I  said,   I  cannot  find  words 

tn— — " 

"Please  oblige  me  by  not  mentioning  it,  sir,"  I  inter 
rupted. 

Then,  to  change  the  subject,  I  added : 
"Do  you  intend  to  remain  long  in  San  Francisco?" 
"Yes.     Probably  five  or  six  months.     Then  I  think  I 
will  take  a  trip  through  the  Yellowstone.     Fine  place 
that,  don't  you  know.     You  are  making  a  business  trip 
West,  I  presume?    We  must  see  more  of  each  other, 
don't  you  know.     Shall  you  make  California  your  head 
quarters  for  any  length  of  time  ?" 

I  saw  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  for  some  reason 
that  I  was  a  traveling  salesman  or  something  of  that  sort, 
and  I  resolved  to  encourage  the  belief.  It  would  stop 
awkward  questions,  anyway,  in  case  I  was  thrown  much 
with  him  during  the  journey. 

I  made  an  evasive  reply  and  then  turned  the  conver 
sation  to  other  subjects.  By  the  following  day  we  had 


i8  Alfred  Montague   Forbes. 

become  quite  friendly,  and  I  was  in  possession  of  much 
of  his  former  history.  He  was  very  frank  in  his  state 
ments  and  permitted  me  to  glean  the  information  that  he 
was  the  youngest  son  of  an  English  nobleman,  and  that 
he  was  "doing"  a  tour  of  America  for  pleasure. 

Nothing  of  interest  occurred  until  we  passed  Cheyenne. 
That  night,  shortly  after  eleven,  I  was  suddenly  awak 
ened  by  a  terrible  crash,  which  doubled  me  up  in  a  heap 
at  the  foot  of  the  berth. 

Bewildered  and  alarmed,  I  attempted  to  spring  to  the 
floor,  but  had  hardly  placed  my  foot  on  the  lower  edge, 
when,  with  a  most  frightful  jolt,  the  heavy  coach  reared 
in  the  air  and  then  plunged  forward  amid  a  succession 
of  agonized  screams. 

I  was  thrown  prostrate,  landing  violently  upon  my 
head,  and  then — darkness! 

When  I  regained  consciousness,  it  was  to  find  myself 
lying  in  the  open  air.  Confused  as  I  naturally  was,  my 
first  thought  was  of  my  belt,  in  which  I  carried  my  money 
and  papers.  It  did  not  take  me  long  to  find  out  the 
dreadful  truth. 

It  was  gone ! 

Almost  frantic  with  despair,  I  scrambled  to  my  feet. 
Before  I  could  move  from  the  spot,  the  sounds  of  a 
violent  altercation  came  to  my  ears,  then  a  familiar  voice 
exclaimed : 

"Give  that  to  me,  you  scoundrelly  thief.  Give  it  up, 
I  say,  or  I'll  fire,  don't  you  know!" 

At  almost  the  same  instant  a  torch  flared  up,  and  by 
its  ruddy  light  I  saw  the  young  Englishman  struggling 


Alfred  Montague   Forbes.  19 

with  several  ruffianly  men.  Snatching  up  a  fragment  of 
iron,  I  hastened  to  his  assistance.  Just  then  several  more 
torches  were  ignited,  exposing  to  view  the  wrecked  train, 
the  sleeping  coach  thrown  across  the  track,  and  a  con 
fused  jumble  of  passengers  scattered  around,  some  in 
jured  and  others  simply  bewildered. 

Some  of  the  latter  followed  me.  The  reinforcements 
put  the  train  robbers  to  flight,  and  they  disappeared  in  the 
darkness,  followed  by  a  couple  of  shots  from  Forbes'  re 
volver. 

"Hi  there,  Bennett!"  he  called  out,  beckoning  to  me. 
"Here  is  some  of  your  property.  I  found  those  beggars 
going  through  you,  and  I  caught  them  just  in  time." 

To  my  intense  relief  and  joy,  I  saw  that  he  held  my  belt 
in  his  hand.  I  eagerly  examined  the  contents  and  found 
them  intact.  I  was  profuse  in  my  thanks,  but  he  cut  me 
short  with  a  careless  wave  of  his  hand. 

"Tit  for  tat,  old  fellow,"  he  said.  "You  saved  my  life 
in  Chicago,  don't  you  know,  and  now  I  have  paid  part  of 
the  debt.  Deuced  mess  this,  isn't  it?" 

The  wreck  was  a  pretty  bad  one,  but  fortunately  there 
was  no  loss  of  life.  Investigation  proved  that  obstruc 
tions  had  been  placed  upon  the  track  by  a  gang  of  train 
robbers,  who  were  foiled,  however,  in  their  attempt  to  rifle 
the  express  car.  It  was  almost  morning  before  a  relief 
train  backed  down  from  the  division  headquarters,  and  it 
was  past  noon  when  we  finally  resumed  our  journey. 

That  placed  us  in  San  Francisco  nearly  a  day  late,  so 
I  instantly  set  about  making  my  preparations  for  sailing. 
I  managed  to  escape  from  the  young  Englishman  at  the 


2O  Alfred  Montague   Forbes. 

station,  and  as  a  further  precaution,  I  engaged  quarters 
at  an  obscure  hotel. 

The  following  forty-eight  hours  were  spent  in  pur 
chasing  the  various  articles  needed  in  my  new  role  as  a 
wealthy  American  youth,  and  when  I  finally  boarded  the 
steamer  at  midnight,  it  was  as  a  gay  and  gilded  young 
man  of  the  period. 

As  the  hour  of  departure  was  set  at  daybreak,  I  did  not 
appear  on  deck  until  we  had  passed  through  the  Golden 
Gate,  and  were  well  out  to  sea.  Running  up  for  the  pur 
pose  of  getting  a  whiff  of  fresh  air  before  breakfast,  I 
plumped  full  into  the  arms  of  a  youth  at  the  head  of  the 
companion-stairs. 

The  collision  sent  me  reeling  backward,  but  I  quickly 
recovered  myself,  and  glanced  up  to  see  the  familiar  fa.ce 
of  Alfred  Montague  Forbes  staring  down  at  me! 


CHAPTER  III. 

IN     WHICH     I     MAKE    AN     IMPORTANT    DISCOVERY. 

To  say  that  I  was  surprised  and  annoyed  would  not  be 
expressing  myself  half  strongly  enough.  I  glared  at  the 
young  Englishman  for  a  moment  as  if  he  were  a  personal 
enemy,  then  I  advanced  and  held  out  my  hand  with  a 
well  simulated  gesture  of  pleasure. 

"Well,  what  under  the  sun  brings  you  here?"  I  asked, 
trying  to  speak  cordially.  "Really,  this  is  a — er — a  most 
unexpected  meeting." 

Slowly  and  with  consummate  coolness,  he  screwed  his 
glass  into  his  eye,  and  favored  me  with  a  prolonged  stare. 
Then,  to  my  astonishment,  he  drawled: 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  am  afraid  you  have  the  ad 
vantage  of  me,  don't  you  know.  Case  of — aw — mistaken 
identity,  I  suppose." 

"Is  not  your  name  Alfred  Forbes?"  I  asked,  rather 
warmly. 

"Ha !  ha !  This  is  the  second  time  I  have  been  mistaken 
for  that  person.  Queer,  isn't  it?  A  man  back  at  the 
hotel  addressed  me  as  you  have,  don't  you  know.  But  he 
didn't  half  floor  me  first." 

"Did  he  rescue  you  from  certain  death  under  a  car- 
wheel?"  I  asked,  sarcastically. 

I  was  certain  of  my  man,  and  it  made  me  rather  angry 
that  he  should  deny  the  acquaintance. 


22  An  Important   Discovery. 

The  shot  took  effect.  The  young  Englishman  red 
dened  visibly,  and  hesitated,  then,  with  a  supercilious 
stare,  he  bowed  politely  and  strolled  to  the  rail.  I  glanced 
after  him  with  my  surprise  still  unabated.  Why  had  he 
refused  to  recognize  me?  It  was  certainly  very  queer. 

While  on  the  way  to  San  Francisco  he  had  told  me  that 
he  intended  to  remain  in  California  for  five  or  six  months, 
and  then  go  to  the  Yellowstone,  but  there  he  was  on  board 
a  steamer  bound  for  the  Orient.  In  my  excitement  I  had 
forgotten  that  I  was  also  sailing  under  false  colors,  as  it 
were,  and  should  be  an  unassuming  commercial  traveler 
selling  dry  goods  or  nutmeg  graters  instead  of  occupying 
the  best  stateroom  on  a  Pacific  liner. 

After  thinking  it  over,  I  concluded  that  nothing  better 
could  have  happened.  His  refusal  to  acknowledge  our  ac 
quaintance  would  save  me  from  an  awkward  explanation, 
still  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  something  was  behind 
his  mysterious  actions. 

During  the  rest  of  the  long  voyage  to  Yokohama  I 
furtively  watched  Mr.  Alfred  Montague  Forbes,  but 
gained  nothing  for  my  pains.  The  excitement  of  our 
arrival  in  the  principal  sea-port  of  Japan  drove  all 
thoughts  of  him  from  my  mind. 

My  first  task  after  securing  quarters  at  the  best  hotel, 
was  to  call  on  the  American  Consul,  and  present  my  let 
ters.  When  he  learned  that  it  was  my  intention  to  pro 
ceed  to  Corea  at  once,  he  tried  to  dissuade  me,  pointing 
out  the  extreme  danger  of  the  course.  I  persisted.  Fi 
nally  he  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  disclaimed  all  re 
sponsibility. 


An  Important  Discovery.  23 

This  had  its  effect,  as  I  was  pointed  out  next  day  as 
an  American  youth  with  a  great  deal  more  money  than 
brains,  and  suspicion — if  any  existed — was  lessened.  The 
war  fever  was  at  its  height,  and  rumors  of  all  kinds  were 
rife.  From  a  quantity  of  chaff  I  managed  to  glean  some 
important  information  concerning  the  massing  of  Chi 
nese  troops  in  the  northern  part  of  Corea. 

I  also  acquired  a  bit  of  news  which  rather  discouraged 
me.  It  was  to  the  effect  that  both  the  Japanese  and 
Chinese  governments  had  established  a  strict  censorship 
on  all  correspondence  for  foreign  papers,  and  that  they 
had  obtained  complete  control  of  the  wires. 

This  was  calculated  to  add  immensely  to  my  responsi 
bility  and  labor,  as  can  well  be  seen.  It  was  therefore 
with  a  rather  gloomy  view  of  the  future  that  I  walked 
toward  the  cable  office  to  send  my  first  message  to  the 
Press  Association. 

Since  arriving  in  Yokohama,  I  had  seen  nothing  of  my 
peculiar  acquaintance,  Alfred  Montague  Forbes.  Other 
and  more  important  matters  had  driven  him  from  my 
mind,  but  the  man  and  his  mysterious  actions  were  speed 
ily  recalled  by  my  suddenly  seeing  the  young  Englishman 
himself  rapidly  proceeding  down  the  street  in  front  of 
me. 

He  halted  at  the  door  of  the  telegraph  office  and  dis 
appeared  inside.  A  disinclination  to  meet  him  caused 
me  to  step  into  a  shop  next  door.  A  few  moments  later 
he  passed  by,  and  vanished  in  the  throng.  While  enter 
ing  the  cable  office,  my  foot  struck  against  a  small  leather- 
bound  note-book  resting  upon  the  door-sill.  It  was  of 


24  An  Important   Discovery. 

European  make,  and  bore  the  initials,  "A.  M.  F."  on  the 
cover. 

Thinking  to  find  some  trace  of  the  owner,  I  opened 
the  clasp  and  glanced  over  the  first  page.  Upon  it  was 
written,  in  a  bold  hand,  a  list  containing  the  following 
words : 

"Partridge — Chinese.  Hawks — Japanese.  Hertford — 
Corea.  Grange — Gulf  of  Pe-chi-li.  War  ships — feathers. 
Transports — wings." 

I  had  read  thus  far  when  I  noticed  a  slip  of  paper  pro 
jecting  from  between  the  leaves.  Somewhat  mystified,  I 
extricated  it  to  see  if  it  bore  any  name  that  would  reveal 
the  loser  of  the  volume.  It  was  a  copy  of  a  cablegram 
addressed  to  "Lady  Mary  Algernon,  London,  England," 
and  read  as  follows  : 

Letter  received.  Am  glad  to  hear  partridges  are  gathering  in 
Hertford,  and  that  hawks  are  on  the  wing  north  in  force.  Hawk 
feathers  will  be  flying  at  the  Grange  within  three  days,  I  sup 
pose.  Have  written.  (Signed)  ALFRED. 

The  truth  suddenly  flashed  over  me.  The  list  was  a 
secret  code  for  cabling  information,  and  the  message  was 
one  evidently  recently  sent  from  Yokohama.  It  did  not 
take  me  a  second  to  translate  it  with  the  aid  of  the  code. 
Stripped  of  all  disguise,  it  meant  that  the  Chinese  (part 
ridges)  were  gathering  in  Corea  (Hertford),  and  that 
the  Japanese  (hawks)  were  on  the  way  north  in  force. 

"Hawk  feathers  will  be  flying  at  the  Grange  within 
three  days"  could  mean  nothing  else  except  that  the 
Japanese  war-ships  would  enter  the  Gulf  of  Pe-chi-li  in 
that  time. 


An  Important  Discovery.  25 

Now  greatly  excited,  I  again  looked  at  the  initials. 
They  were  no  longer  a  secret.  The  astute  correspondent 
could  be  none  other  than  Alfred  Montague  Forbes.  And 
he — I  laughed  aloud  with  very  joy — could  only  be  the 
young  Englishman  I  had  been  warned  against  by  Mr. 
Burnett — the  correspondent  sent  out  by  the  rival  com 
pany,  the  British  Press  Association ! 

At  that  moment  I  chanced  to  glance  up,  and  saw  Forbes 
approaching  at  a  hurried  walk.  My  plan  was  formed  in 
stantly.  Dropping  the  tell-tale  volume  upon  the  step,  I 
entered  the  cable  office  and  calmly  proceeded  to  send  my 
dispatch.  A  moment  later  the  English  youth  appeared 
and  picked  up  his  property  with  every  manifestation  of 
relief.  Then  he  again  vanished  without  seeing  me. 

I  was  simply  overwhelmed  with  joy  at  thus  having  the 
advantage  of  my  antagonist — for  such  he  intended  to  be, 
I  was  certain — and  I  felt  very  grateful  for  the  accident 
(that  had  placed  me  in  possession  of  such  important  in 
formation. 

One  thing  was  positive — it  behooved  me  to  reach  the 
scene  of  my  labors  without  delay.  Forbes  had  commenced 
work  in  earnest,  and  I  saw  that  I  must  do  the  same,  or 
lose  in  the  contest  of  wits.  On  my  way  back  to  the  hotel 
I  learned  that  a  coasting  vessel  would  sail  that  same  even 
ing  for  Chemulpo. 

A  liberal  use  of  gold  secured  me  a  passage,  and  five 
days  later  I  found  myself  in  the  Corean  sea-port,  happy 
in  the  knowledge  that  my  rival  correspondent  was  a  vast 
distance  behind  me.  My  disguise  as  a  wealthy  American 


26  An  Important   Discovery. 

youth,  not  overburdened  with  brains,  stood  me  in  good 
stead,  and  my  presence  excited  little  comment. 

Learning  that  the  Chinese  army  was  pouring  down  the 
peninsula  in  force,  and  that  the  Japanese  were  in  pos 
session  of  Seoul,  I  resolved  to  proceed  to  the  latter  city  at 
once.  Several  Americans  in  Chemulpo  tried  to  persuade 
me  to  remain  near  the  coast,  but  I  replied,  with  a  super 
cilious  stare : 

"No,  by  Jove!  I  have  traveled  thousands  of  miles  to 
see  the  fighting,  and  I  am  not  going  to  be  balked  of  my 
pleasure  at  this  stage  of  the  game.  The  beggars  wouldn't 
dare  to  touch  an  American,  don't  ye  know.  I  intend  to 
wear  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  my  cap  where  they  can 
see  it  plainly.  Ha!  ha!" 

I  heard  one  of  the  gentlemen  mutter : 

"Let  the  fool  go.  These  natives  may  be  like  the  In 
dians — not  in  the  habit  of  harming  imbeciles  and  luna 
tics." 

I  laughed  to  myself  as  I  walked  away  to  engage  my 
carriers,  serene  in  the  knowledge  that  my  disguise  was 
perfect.  But  I  took  pains  to  see  that  my  brace  of  revol 
vers  were  in  working  order. 

There  are  no  railroads  in  Corea,  and  the  prevailing 
mode  of  traveling  is  by  sedan  chairs,  a  most  comfortable 
method,  as  my  aching  bones  soon  testified.  I  secured 
four  lusty  porters,  not  very  prepossessing  as  to  appear 
ance,  but  giving  great  promise  of  endurance,  and  set 
forth  early  in  the  morning  of  my  second  day  in  the  Her 
mit  Kingdom. 

The  distance  from  the  coast  port  to  the  capital  is  very 


An  Important   Discovery.  27 

short,  but  when  noon  arrived  we  were  still  on  the  road. 
This  surprised  me,  as  my  carriers  had  been  covering  the 
ground  at  a  long,  swinging  trot  for  fully  six  hours. 

It  was  certainly  strange.  I  concluded  to  investigate, 
and  produced  my  book  of  Corean  words.  Addressing 
the  head  carrier,  I  asked  a  question  in  the  loud  voice 
persons  always  use  when  they  attempt  to  speak  in  an 
unknown  tongue.  The  experiment  was  a  dismal  failure. 

The  natives  glanced  at  me  stupidly,  and  did  not  lessen 
their  pace.  Another  hour  passed  without  anything  ap 
pearing  to  indicate  the  vicinity  of  Seoul.  Becoming 
alarmed  at  last,  I  sprang  from  the  chair  and  demanded 
an  explanation  of  the  delay  as  well  as  I  could  by  signs. 

Suddenly  the  head  carrier  gave  a  furtive  signal,  and 
all  four  instantly  advanced  on  me  with  hostile  gestures. 
Their  meaning  was  plain.  I  had  been  brought  to  some 
out-of-the-way  place  for  the  purpose  of  being  robbed,  and 
possibly  murdered. 

They  were  upon  me  before  I  could  draw  my  revolvers. 
One  lusty  scoundrel  raised  a  club  to  strike  me,  but,  be 
fore  he  could  use  it,  a  dull  booming  sound  came  from  in 
front.  It  was  immediately  succeeded  by  a  prolonged 
rattle  of  musketry  and  the  unmistakable  noises  of  a  des 
perate  conflict. 

The  effect  on  the  would-be  assassins  was  miraculous. 
With  one  accord  they  turned  and  fled  down  the  narrow 
road  at  the  top  of  their  speed,  soon  disappearing  in  the 
distance.  The  sedan  chair  with  my  luggage  was  left 
overturned  in  the  dust. 

For  a  moment  I  paused,  irresolute.     I  was  vastly  re- 


28  An  Important   Discovery. 

lieved  to  find  myself  still  alive  and  in  possession  of  my 
freedom,  but  I  soon  began  to  see  that  my  present  situa 
tion  was  not  devoid  of  danger.  I  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  of  my  whereabouts,  nor  in  which  direction  lay  my 
destination. 

All  conjectures  were  suddenly  dispersed  by  the  ap 
pearance  of  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  road  ahead  of  me.  It 
settled  presently,  exposing  to  view  a  mob  of  armed  men 
running  in  my  direction.  Not  stopping  to  investigate 
further,  I  hastily  concealed  myself  behind  some  bushes. 

A  few  moments  later  the  air  became  filled  with  the 
shrill  reports  of  small  arms,  the  tumultuous  cries  of  ex 
cited  hosts,  and  the  sullen  booming  of  cannon.  It  did  not 
take  me  long  to  discover  that  I  was  in  the  very  center  of 
a  battle-field,  and  the  unbidden  spectator  of  a  fierce  com 
bat  between  two  opposing  forces  of  Chinese  and  Japanese. 

My  eagerness  for  news — the  never-dying  spirit  of  a 
journalist — getting  the  better  of  my  discretion,  I  sallied 
forth  from  behind  the  bushes,  unconsciously  taking  out 
my  notebook  at  the  same  time.  The  road  was  filled  with 
a  struggling  mass  of  soldiers  fighting  tooth  and  nail.  At 
first  I  could  distinguish  nothing  but  flashing  sabers,  gun- 
barrels,  and  an  indescriminate  collection  of  yellow  faces, 
pig-tails,  and  red  emblazoned  banners. 

Finally  I  saw  a  line  of  men  in  showy  uniform,  march 
with  the  precision  of  veterans  upon  the  scene.  They 
broke  into  a  run  presently,  and  swept  down  upon  the 
combatants  with  irresisible  force.  Just  then  several  blood 
stained  Chinamen  near  me  turned  and  darted  in  my  di 
rection.  They  were  shouting  hoarsely,  and  among  the 


An  Important  Discovery.  29 

words  I  recognized  one  which  I  knew  meant  "foreign 
devil/' 

It  was  enough.  I  saw  they  intended  to  attack  me, 
and  I  prepared  to  defend  myself  as  best  I  could.  Snatch 
ing  a  sword  from  the  nerveless  clutch  of  a  decapitated 
wretch,  I  stood  on  guard,  and  just  in  time.  A  second 
later  they  surrounded  me,  and  the  foremost  aimed  a 
furious  blow  at  my  head  with  a  sharp-pointed  spear ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IN     WHICH     I     MEET     OSAKI. 

I  do  not  know  how  it  happened,  but  I  managed  to 
ward  off  the  spear-thrust  with  my  sword,  and  then  to 
give  the  fellow  a  shrewd  cut  that  he  fell  back  howling 
with  pain.  This  successful  resistance  seemed  to  work 
his  companions  into  a  perfect  frenzy. 

They  closed  in  on  me  with  their  weapons,  and  made 
such  a  determined  attack  that  I  would  have  undoubtedly 
succumbed  if  aid  had  not  arrived  at  that  opportune 
moment. 

It  came  from  an  unexpected  quarter. 

While  I  was  fighting  for  dear  life,  and  expected  every 
moment  to  receive  the  coup  de  grace  that  would  put  an 
end  forever  to  my  journalistic  career,  a  young  Japanese, 
clad  in  the  uniform  of  a  sub-officer,  had  detached  him- 
self  from  his  company,  and  was  hastening  toward  where 
I  was  struggling  with  my  assailants. 

The  first  notification  I  received  of  his  presence  was  in 
seeing  one  of  the  Chinese  soldiers  stagger  back,  and 
then  fall  to  the  ground,  laid  low  by  a  sword-thrust  from 
a  skillful  hand. 

The  others  took  to  their  heels  with  great  promptness, 
and  I  saw,  shrouded  in  the  smoke  from  guns,  an  intelli 
gent-faced  Japanese  peering  at  me  with  friendly  eyes. 


I  Meet  Osaki.  31 

Still  somewhat  bewildered,  I  remained  on  guard,  but  my 
fears  were  soon  dispelled. 

"You  are  an  American?"  my  rescuer  suddenly  asked, 
in  excellent  English. 

"Yes,"  I  briefly  replied. 

"Come  with  me.  You  are  not  safe  here,"  he  added, 
taking  me  by  the  arm. 

I  hesitated.  Strange  to  say,  my  recent  experience 
had  not  quenched  my  desire  to  gain  the  latest  news,  and 
I  instinctively  opened  by  notebook,  which  I  had  re 
tained  in  my  left  hand  during  the  brief  struggle. 

I  knew  by  the  widespread  sounds  of  combat,  and  the 
distant  retort  of  field-pieces,  that  is  was  not  a  mere 
skirmish,  but  that  the  little  road  in  which  I  stood  was  a 
small  portion  of  an  extensive  battle-ground. 

It  was  a  chance  not  to  be  lost.  I  forgot  my  role  as 
a  gilded  youth,  and  only  thought  of  the  splendid  oppor 
tunity  thus  presented  for  reporting  an  engagement  from 
the  scene  of  action. 

"From  our  special  correspondent  in  the  field,"  I  mut 
tered,  writing  the  words.  "Thrilling  description  of  the 
battle  of by  an  eye-witness.  On  the  tenth  day  of 


I  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  an  exclamation  of  as 
tonishment  from  my  companion. 

"Heavens !  what  are  you  doing?"  he  cried.  "Put  that 
book  away  before  you  are  seen.  What  are  you?  A 
correspondent?" 

I  instantly  saw  the  folly  of  my  action.  My  eagerness 
had  caused  me  to  expose  my  true  character.  And  this 


32  I  Meet  Osaki. 

early  in  my  career,  too.  Thoroughly  angry  with  my 
self,  I  hastily  returned  the  notebook  to  my  pocket, 
meanwhile  endeavoring  to  think  of  some  plausible  ex 
cuse. 

Fortunately,  at  that  moment  a  fresh  detachment  of 
Chinese  troops  appeared  on  the  scene  from  down  the 
road,  and  the  fighting  waged  fiercely  on  all  sides  of  us. 
The  Japanese  were  splendidly  officered,  and  they  met 
the  attack  with  a  coolness  that  wrung  an  exclamation 
of  admiration  from  my  lips. 

Suddenly,  while  I  was  watching  the  blood-stirring 
struggle,  a  shell  from  a  distant  gun  struck  the  ground 
not  three  paces  from  me.  The  metal  cylinder  spun 
around  in  the  dust,  and  then  settled  quietly  into  a  slight 
depression  of  the  road. 

Crouching  almost  prostrate,  I  glared  at  it  with  fas 
cinated  eyes,  expecting  with  every  passing  second  that 
it  would  explode  and  scatter  death  in  every  direction. 

One  minute — two  minutes I  tried  to  step  back 

away  from  its  circle  of  destructive  force,  but  I  could  not 
move.  Presently  I  heard  a  low  laugh,  and  turned  to 
see  the  young  officer  standing  with  folded  arms,  gazing 
toward  the  threatening  missile. 

"Humph!  Chinese  ammunition,"  he  said,  contempt 
uously  shrugging  his  shoulders.  "No  good — like  them 
selves.  Come." 

I  followed  him  without  a  word.  Before  we  had 
walked  twenty  feet,  a  terrific  explosion  shook  the  earth. 
The  shock  hurled  me  against  my  new  acquaintance,  and 
together  we  stumbled  prostrate. 


I  Meet  Osaki.  33 

I  was  deafened  by  the  terrible  noise,  and  blinded  for 
the  moment  by  a  thick  volume  of  dust.  Staggering  to 
my  feet,  I  looked  back  and  saw  a  hideous  pile  of  maimed 
and  dying  soldiers  heaped  up  in  that  part  of  the  little 
road  we  had  just  left. 

The  shell  had  finally  exploded. 

"That  was  a  narrow  escape,  eh?"  said  a  voice  in  my 
ears.  "We  both  must  have  been  born  under  lucky  stars. 
It  seemed  as  if  that  fuse  waited  until  we  got  out  of  the 
way." 

"It  is  terrible — simply  terrible,"  I  replied,  addressing 
the  speaker,  my  Japanese  friend.  "So  this  is  war?" 

"Yes,  and  you  will  be  an  unwilling  victim  of  it  if  you 
don't  take  my  advice  and  follow  me  to  a  safe  place." 

"But  you?"  I  queried.  "Your  duty  calls  you  here, 
does  it  not?" 

"I  am  an  unattached  volunteer,  and  can  go  where  I 
please,"  he  replied. 

A  tinge  of  sadness  in  his  voice  caused  me  to  glance 
at  him.  He  was  looking  beyond  me  at  a  distant  com 
pany  of  Japanese.  For  one  of  his  nationality,  he  was 
tall  and  well-formed,  and  had  a  countenance  expressive 
of  great  intelligence. 

Even  in  the  tumult  and  uproar  of  the  battlefield,  I 
noticed  this ;  then,  before  I  could  carry  my  impressions 
any  further,  he  beckoned  me  to  follow.  I  took  a  last 
look  at  the  stirring  spectacle,  and  silently  obeyed. 

As  we  dodged  along  through  bushes,  and  past  open 
spaces  carrying  traces  of  the  sanguinary  combat  in  the 
shape  of  little  heaps  of  bodies,  I  thought  what  a  won- 


34  I  Meet  Osaki. 

derful  luck  was  mine  to  be  thus  dropped  down  right  in 
the  center  of  hostilities  on  my  second  day  in  the  country. 

I  also  thought  of  the  Press  Association,  and  of  Mr. 
Parker,  and  of  their  flattering  comments  when  they 
would  read  my  description  of  the  scene.  Then  I  re 
membered,  with  a  feeling  of  exultation,  the  British  cor 
respondent,  Alfred  Montague  Forbes,  in  distant  Yoko 
hama. 

"I  am  afraid,  my  dear  Alfred,"  I  murmured,  with  a 
chuckle,  "that  your  fair  correspondent,  Lady  Mary  Al- 
geron,  alias  the  British  Press  Association,  will  have  to 
get  this  news  second-hand." 

Just  then  my  guide  halted,  and,  pointing  across  a  de 
serted  paddy-field  to  where  a  small  bamboo  hut  stood 
at  the  other  edge,  he  said : 

"You  can  remain  there  until  the  fight  is  over.  Then, 
if  you  will  take  my  advice,  you  will  return  to  the  coast. 
You  are  an  American  newspaper  correspondent,  I  am 
sure — your  actions  show  that.  As  such,  you  will  not 
be  permitted  to  follow  either  army;  nor  can  you  send 
dispatches  if  it  be  found  out.  You  had  better  give  it 
up." 

He  spoke  in  a  grave  voice,  but  his  manner  was  so 
friendly  that  I  resolved  to  make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  and 
tell  the  truth  concerning  myself.  To  offer  a  denial 
under  the  circumstances  would  be  useless,  anyway. 

"I  am  a  correspondent,"  I  replied,  frankly,  "and  as 
such  I  throw  myself  on  your  mercy.  If  you  have  ever 
been  to  the  United  States,  as  I  suspect " 

He  interrupted  with  a  gesture  of  assent. 


I  Meet  Osaki.  35 

''Yes,  I  have  been  there,  and  for  several  years.  I  like 
the  Americans,"  he  said,  hastily,  "and  for  that  reason  I 
wish  to  save  you  from  harm.  Wait,  I  will  tell  you  my 
story.  Go  to  the  hut  and  hide  till  I  return.  I  think 

the  battle  is  almost  over,  as Listen !  do  you  hear 

that  music?  It  is  our  march  of  victory  being  played  by 
the  staff  band.  We  have  won  again !  Hurrah !" 

I  joined  in  his  joyful  cheer,  almost  as  excited  as  him 
self.  Again  bidding  me  wait  in  the  bamboo  hut,  he 
darted  away,  and  disappeared  behind  a  fringe  of  bushes. 

Watching  my  chance,  I  hurried  across  the  field  to  the 
little  house.  It  was  a  small,  rudely  made  structure,  and 
contained  only  one  room.  The  door  was  gone,  and  I 
could  see  the  whole  interior.  It  was  empty,  and  bore 
the  appearance  of  having  been  long  abandoned. 

Before  entering,  I  gave  a  cautious  glance  around. 
The  exposure  of  my  real  business  to  the  young  Japanese 
had  taught  me  the  necessity  of  carefulness.  It  would 
be  humiliating  in  the  extreme  to  find  myself  politely 
warned  to  leave  the  country  at  the  very  beginning  of 
the  war. 

"By  Jove !  I'll  enlist  as  a  common  soldier  first,  if  they 
will  take  me,"  I  muttered.  And  I  meant  it. 

I  instinctively  felt  that  I  would  have  nothing  to  fear 
from  my  new  friend.  Something  in  his  actions  appealed 
very  strongly  to  me,  and  I  was  impatient  to  hear  his 
story. 

The  sounds  of  battle  had  died  away,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  an  occasional  cannon  shot  from  the  distance.  It 
indicated  that  the  Chinese  were  in  full  retreat  toward 


36  I  Meet  Osaki. 

the  north,  and  that  for  that  day  at  least,  there  would  be 
no  further  fighting  in  the  vicinity. 

Entering  the  hut,  I  took  out  my  notebook  and  pen 
cil,  and  jotted  down  a  hurried  description  of  my  recent 
eventful  experiences.  Leaving  a  space  for  the  number 
of  troops  engaged,  I  gave  a  more  or  less  glowing  ac 
count  of  the  fierce  hand  to  hand  combats,  not  forgetting 
my  own  little  affair  with  the  four  Chinese  soldiers. 

I  was  just  spreading  myself  on  the  shell  incident  when 
I  heard  footsteps  outside.  I  had  barely  time  to  replace 
my  book  when  my  new  acquaintance  appeared.  His 
face  was  wreathed  with  smiles,  and  he  walked  jauntily, 
as  if  well  pleased. 

"A  glorious  victory!"  he  cried,  exultantly.  "A  glori 
ous  victory,  my  friend.  The  enemy  are  in  full  retreat 
northward,  and  have  left  all  the  cannon  and  ammuni 
tion." 

My  book  was  out  in  a  second. 

"How  many  prisoners  have  been  captured?"  I  asked, 
eagerly.  "What  Japanese  troops  were  engaged.  Who 
is  the  general  in  command?  Wrhat  is  the  name  of  this 
part  of  the  country?  How  far  is  it  from " 

"Hold !  Great  heavens  !  what  a  torrent  of  questions," 
interrupted  the  young  officer,  in  mock  dismay.  Then 
he  leaned  against  the  side  of  the  hut  and  laughed  until 
the  tears  came  into  his  eyes. 

I  bit  my  lip  in  vexation.  My  professional  ardor  had 
again  gotten  the  better  of  me.  At  this  rate  I  would 
either  land  in  some  military  prison,  or  be  driven  from 
the  country,  and  that  soon. 


I  Meet  Osaki.  37 

"You  can't  help  it,"  exclaimed  my  companion.  "If 
you  were  going  to  be  shot,  you  would  want  to  report  the 
details  leading  up  to  the  execution.  Oh,  you  Ameri 
cans  !" 

"There  isn't  any  use  in  my  trying  to  hide  it  from  you," 
I  replied,  with  a  smile.  "I  have  been  sent  here  by  a 
syndicate  of  newspapers  to  report  this  war,  and  I  intend 
to  do  it  if  I  am  not  killed  or  thrown  out  of  Corea.  As 
it  stands  now,  it  all  rests  with  you.  You  saved  my  life 
this  afternoon,  and  I  am  deeply  grateful,  but  I  intend 
to  add  to  the  debt  by  asking  you  to  keep  silent  and  not 
expose  me." 

"I  will  promise  that,  friend,  but  if  you  will  take  my 
advice '' 

"No,  no !"  I  cried,  firmly.  "Don't  ask  me  to  give  up 
my  work  and  leave  the  country.  I  cannot  do  it.  I 
would  rather  risk  my  life  a  thousand  times  than  return 
home  without  accomplishing  my  task." 

"So  be  it,"  finally  replied  the  young  officer.  "If  you 
wish  to  take  the  risk  you  can  do  so.  You  need  fear 
nothing  from  me.  As  I  said  before,  I  have  only  friendly 
feelings  for  Americans.  I  was  educated  among  them, 
:;nd  I  like  them,  one  and  all." 

"You  were  educated  in  America?"  I  echoed.  "That 
explains " 

"Aly  excellent  English,  eh?"  he  smiled.  "I  presume 
I  speak  it  plainly.  Why  not?  I  graduated  from  your 
naval  academy  at  Annapolis." 

I  glanced  at  him  in  profound  surprise.  He  a  grad 
uate  of  our  naval  school !  Then  why  was  he  simply  a 


38  I  Meet  Osaki. 

subordinate  officer  in  an  infantry  regiment  instead  of 
walking  the  quarter-deck  of  a  man-of-war? 

My  face  must  have  betrayed  my  thoughts  as  he  smiled 
in  a  melancholy  manner. 

"I  will  explain  how  it  is  that  I  wear  these  clothes,"  he 
said,  indicating  his  rough  uniform.  "In  the  first  place 
mv  name  is  Osaki." 


CHAPTER  V. 

IN     WHICH     I     RENEW    AN     ACQUAINTANCE. 

I  bowed,  and  made  myself  known  in  return. 

"I  was  sent  to  America  seven  years  ago  to  take 
the  naval  course  at  your  academy  by  direction  of  the 
Japanese  Government,"  he  continued.  "And  when  I 
finally  graduated,  I  was  given  a  position  as  navigator 
on  board  one  of  our  smaller  gunboats.  I  studied  hard, 
and  at  last  was  ordered  in  the  same  capacity  to  an  ar 
mored  battleship.  One  night,  a  certain  officer,  high 
in  rank,  had  the  course  changed  without  consulting  me, 
and  the  vessel  struck  a  rock  outside  of  Yokohama. 
She  was  saved  with  little  damage,  but  I  was  court- 
martialed  and  dismissed  in  disgrace." 

"But  it  was  not  your  fault,"  I  exclaimed.  "You 
knew  nothing  of  the  change  of  orders." 

Osaki  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"What  was  done  with  the  high  officer  you  men 
tioned?"  I  asked.  Then  the  truth  flashed  over  me, 
and  I  added,  impulsively:  "You  did  not  inform  on 
him.  You  took  the  blame  yourself." 

The  young  officer  silently  nodded,  and  then  walked 
to  the  door  of  the  hut.  After  a  moment  he  returned 
with  a  serene  smile  upon  his  face. 

"What  matters   it?"  he  said.     "Am    I   not   fighting 


40  An   Acquaintance. 

for  my  country?  I  am  a  soldier  in  the  service  of  his 
majesty,  the  emperor.  I  am  ready  to  shed  my  blood 
at  his  bidding.  Can  an  admiral  say  more  than  that?" 

I  looked  at  the  speaker  in  silent  admiration.  I  could 
not  find  words  to  express  my  appreciation  of  his  in 
nate  nobleness,  but  I  did  that  which  means  more  than 
empty  phrases — I  warmly  grasped  his  hand! 

He  understood  me.  Tears  came  into  his  eyes,  and 
he  again  turned  away.  Thus  we  stood  for  a  brief 
while,  and  in  that  moment  there  sprung  up  a  friendship 
which  I  know  will  last  for  all  time. 

A  sudden  noise  outside  the  hut  recalled  us  to  our 
position.  Voices  and  the  tread  of  many  feet  sounded. 
A  body  of  men  was  approching  our  retreat.  Osaki 
made  a  gesture  of  alarm.  Bidding  me  keep  in  the 
rear,  he  peered  forth. 

Curiosity  getting  the  better  of  me,  I  glanced  over 
his  shoulder,  and  saw  a  company  of  Japanese  soldiers 
marching  across  the  field.  I  could  not  refrain  from 
uttering  an  exclamation  of  consternation. 

"Great  Scott!  we  will  be  surrounded!"  I  said.  "That 
means  capture  for  me." 

"It  is  a  search  party  looking  for  refugees,"  hurriedly 
replied  the  young  officer.  "Haven't  you  a  disguise? 
Can't  you  palm  yourself  off  as " 

I  gave  a  cry  of  relief.  His  words  caused  me  to  re 
member  my  role  as  a  rich  American  youth.  By  shrewd 
acting,  I  might  possibly  deceive  the  officer  in  com 
mand  of  the  soldiers.  It  was  worth  trying,  anyway. 


An   Acquaintance.  41 

Hastily  giving  Osaki  my  notebook  and  a  sum  of  money, 
I  explained  my  plan  in  a  few  brief  words. 

"I  will  appear  to  be  badly  frightened,"  I  added.  "You 
can  pretend  to  have  discovered  me  here,  and  be  on  the 
point  of  making  me  a  prisoner.  Understand?" 

"Good!"  replied  my  companion.  "Crouch  down 
there  in  the  corner.  Quick!  they  are  almost  here." 

"Wait.  One  more  word,"  I  said.  "If  I  am  impris 
oned,  use  your  utmost  endeavors  to  send  that  note 
book  to  John  Rodgers,  the  American  merchant,  at  Yo 
kohama.  He  will  cable  the  contents  to  my  employers 
in  New  York.  Promise  me,  please." 

Osaki  hesitated.  Time  was  precious.  I  made  a 
stronger  plea. 

"Remember  the  friendship  you  owe  Americans,"  I 
urged.  "They  are  on  the  side  of  your  countrymen. 
The  truth  will  hurt  no  one.  Why  try  to  hold  back 
the  news  of  a  glorious  victory?  Promise!" 

There  was  no  time  for  reply.  He  nodded,  and  thrust 
the  book  into  his  blouse.  I  had  barely  time  to  re 
treat  to  the  far  end  of  the  hut,  and  to  toss  up  my 
arms  in  apparent  terror,  when  an  elderly  officer,  with 
the  distinguishing  stripes  of  an  infantry  captain,  en 
tered  the  little  apartment. 

He  started  back  on  seeing  us,  and  called  loudly  for 
some  of  his  men.  Osaki  drew  himself  up  in  military 
style,  and  saluted  respectfully.  Then  he  uttered  sev 
eral  sentences  in  Japanese. 

The   captain   glanced  at  me   curiously,   and  smiled. 


42  An   Acquaintance. 

He  said  a  few  words  to  Osaki,  who  translated  the  mean 
ing  in  a  rough  voice. 

"He  wants  to  know  what  you  are  doing  here,"  he 
said.  "I  have  told  him  that  I  found  you  concealed 
in  this  hut.  Be  careful  and  tell  a  plausible  story." 

I  pretended  to  recover  from  my  fright,  and  advanced 
toward  them.  Drawing  a  card,  which  I  had  had  en 
graved  in  San  Francisco,  and  which  bore  the  high- 
sounding  name,  "Clement  De  Ruyter — De  Ruyter  Van- 
derpoel,"  from  my  pocket,  I  gave  it  to  the  newcomer 
with  a  profound  flourish. 

"Tell  him  that  I  am  an  American  traveling  for 
pleasure,  and  that  I  came  here  to  see  a  little  sport," 
I  said.  "Say  that  I  would  like  to  see  the  king  if  he 
would  kindly  show  me  the  way  to  the  palace." 

I  saw  a  smile  flit  across  the  young  officer's  face,  but 
he  translated  my  words  with  the  utmost  seriousness. 
They  were  received  with  a  hearty  laugh.  I  saw  by 
the  captain's  face  that  he  was  completely  deceived,  and 
I  was  on  the  point  of  mentally  congratulating  myself 
when  one  of  the  soldiers  stepped  forward,  and  after 
saluting,  whispered  something  to  his  superior. 

The  latter  gave  a  start,  and  then  turned  on  Osaki 
with  such  a  torrent  of  harsh  sounding  words  that  I 
instantly  felt  that  the  true  facts  had  been  discovered. 

My  worst  apprehensions  were  soon  realized. 

The  young  Japanese  paled,  and  after  a  moment's 
hesitation,  folded  his  arms  in  silent  submission.  In 
obedience  to  a  command,  several  privates  sprang  to 
my  side,  and  I  soon  found  myself  a  prisoner. 


An   Acquaintance.  43 

I  expostulated  in  an  indignant  tone,  and  demanded 
the  meaning  of  the  outrage.  Osaki  speedily  enlight 
ened  me. 

"That  soldier  has  told  the  captain  that  he  saw  you 
back"  in  the  road  writing  in  your  book/'  he  explained. 
"He  also  stated  that  he  observed  us  walking  away 
together  from  the  battlefield.  You  are  suspected  of 
being  a  correspondent,  and  I  of  aiding  you." 

"Heavens!  is  it  as  bad  as  that?"  I  exclaimed.  "What 
will  they  do  with  us  ?" 

"They  will  take  you  to  headquarters  and  search  you 
for  proof,"  he  replied.  "Then,  if  they  are  satisfied, 
you  will  be  expelled  from  the  country  at  once." 

"And  you?" 

"I  will  be  tried  and  sent  home  to  prison,"  Osaki 
replied,  bitterly. 

"No!  This  must  not  be,"  I  exclaimed,  vehemently. 
"You  are  not  to  blame.  Let  them  do  as  they  wish  to 
me,  but  I  will  not  see  you  unjustly  punished.  Tell  the 
captain  that  I  am  guilty — that  I  am  a  foreign  corre 
spondent,  and  that  I  ask  of  him,  beg  of  him,  to  re 
store  you  to  duty." 

"It  is  useless,"  the  young  officer  answered.  "He  is 
bound  to  take  us  before  the  general  commanding  this 
division.  However,  if  they  find  nothing  on  you,  they 
will  release  you  with  a  warning." 

This  conversation  excited  the  captain's  curiosity,  and 
he  imperiously  demanded  an  explanation.  I  do  not 
know  what  Osaki  told  him,  but  it  was  evidently  satis- 


44  An  Acquaintance. 

factory,  as  the  command  to  march  was  given  without 
further  comment. 

On  reaching  the  road,  I  saw  that  my  luggage  and  the 
sedan  chair  had  been  taken  away.  The  loss  did  not 
make  very  much  difference,  as  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  that  '"roughing  it"  would  be  my  portion  during 
the  rest  of  my  stay  in  Corea. 

I  thought  it  would  help  my  case  to  make  an  out 
cry,  however,  and  I  did  so  to  such  good  effect  that 
the  captain  again  showed  signs  of  doubt.  At  my  re 
quest,  made  in  a  doleful  voice,  Osaki  asked  his  supe 
rior  officer  to  institute  a  search  in  the  neighborhood. 

"Tell  him  that  I  cannot  appear  before  the  general 
without  my  dress  suit,"  I  added,  with  a  sly  wink. 

The  missing  baggage  was  not  forthcoming,  and  we 
set  off  for  an  adjacent  village  where  a  temporary  head 
quarters  had  been  established.  While  on  the  way,  I 
managed  to  exchange  a  few  words  with  my  new  friend, 
and  found,  to  my  astonishment,  that  we  were  far  to 
the  northward  of  Seoul. 

My  recreant  carriers  had  given  the  capital  city  a 
wide  berth,  and  had  taken  an  entirely  different  road. 
I  kept  my  eyes  open  while  on  the  march,  and  saw,  on 
all  sides,  evidences  of  the  greatest  activity  on  the  part 
of  the  Japanese. 

Every  little  while,  after  we  struck  a  wider  path,  we 
would  be  compelled  to  turn  out  to  give  room  for  the 
passage  of  regiments  of  infantrymen  and  field  artillery. 
Our  party  excited  little  attention,  the  stolid-faced  pri- 


An  Acquaintance.  45 

vates  merely  glancing  at  us,  and  then  continuing  on 
ward  at  a  rapid  walk. 

Their  discipline  was  perfect — so  much  so  that  I  was 
compelled  to  congratulate  Osaki.  He  showed  his 
pleasure,  and  immediately  translated  my  glowing  words 
to  the  captain,  with  visible  effect. 

"He  says  it  is  a  pity  you  cannot  follow  these  troops 
and  witness  the  decisive  battle  which  is  bound  to  take 
place  near  Ping  An  by  day  after  to-morrow,"  replied 
the  young  officer. 

A  decisive  battle!  My  right  hand  instinctively 
moved  toward  the  inside  pocket  of  my  coat  in  search 
of  the  notebook,  but  I  recollected  myself  in  time.  A 
decisive  battle,  and  I  not  there  to  witness  it  for  the 
Press  Association.  The  very  thought  was  humiliating, 
and  I  made  a  firm  resolution  to  be  present  if  it  was 
within  the  power  of  man. 

I  now  became  feverishly  impatient  to  meet  the  gen- 
eral-in-chief,  and  I  thanked  my  lucky  stars  for  the 
forethought  that  had  caused  me  to  turn  over  to  Osaki 
my  incriminating  notebook. 

They  would  hardly  search  him,  while  such  a  course 
was  certain  with  me.  In  case  suspicion  was  aroused, 
and  I  was  ordered  to  leave  the  country,  I  intended  to 
charter  a  coaster  at  Chemulpo,  and  proceed  north  in 
that  manner.  As  it  happened,  however,  this  last  re 
sort  was  not  found  necessary. 

An  hour  later  we  reached  the  village.  The  young 
officer  and  I  were  immediately  escorted  before  the 
general,  an  elderly  Japanese,  profusely  decorated  with 


46  An  Acquaintance. 

gold  lace  and  medals.  He  received  the  captain's  re 
port — which  I  felt  had  been  greatly  modified  by  my  re 
cent  actions — and  then  turned  to  me  with  an  indulgent 
smile. 

"Our  little  trouble  is  attracting  a  good  deal  of  at 
tention  in  other  countries  it  seems,"  he  said,  in  Eng 
lish.  "You  Americans  are  not  satisfied  with  the  news 
we  give  out,  I  suppose,  but  needs  must  send  your  own 
newspaper  men." 

"Sir,"  I  replied,  haughtily.  "Please  do  not  class  me 
with  such  low-born  persons.  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Vanderpoel  family,  and  am  here  to  further  my  own 
pleasures.  I  have  been  arrested  by  your  fellows,  and 
dragged  about  the  country  like  a  common  prisoner,  sir. 
I  will  appeal  to  the — aw — representative  of  my  country 
if  you  do  not  order  me  released  forthwith." 

The  general  chuckled,  placidly,  and  jerked  his  thumb 
toward  a  rear  door. 

"So  said  the  other  one,"  he  replied.  "Your  words  are 
almost  identical.  I  think  we  have  made  a  very  nice  catch 
to-day." 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  I  asked,  greatly  puzzled. 

"You  will  soon  see,"  the  general  answered,  meaningly. 
"I  am  not  hard-hearted.  I  will  let  you  condole  with  each 
other  until  I  am  ready  to  send  you  back  to  Chemulpo." 

He  gave  an  order  in  an  authoritative  voice.  The  cap 
tain  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  led  me  to  the  door  previously 
mentioned.  A  soldier  standing  on  guard  unlocked  it,  and 
I  was  thrust  into  another  apartment. 

The  room  was  rather  dark,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
i 


An  Acquaintance.  47 

I  could  see  plainly.  Finally  my  attention  was  attracted  to 
the  figure  of  a  man  seated  upon  a  low  chair.  I  stepped 
forward.  The  figure  rose  from  its  seat.  We  gazed  at 
each  other  for  one  brief  second,  and  then  a  simultaneous 
cry  of  astonishment  echoed  through  the  apartment. 

It    was    the    young    Englishman,    Alfred     Montague 
Forbes ! 


CHAPTER  VI. 

IN     WHICH     OSAKI     SHOWS     HIS     FRIENDSHIP. 

"You?"  I  exclaimed. 

"You  here  ?"  he  shouted,  in  the  same  tone. 

"How  did  you  make  such  quick  time  from  Yokohama  ?" 
I  asked,  after  a  moment's  pause. 

By  that  time  his  coolness  had  returned,  and  to  my  dis 
gust,  he  produced  the  inevitable  eyeglass,  and  scrutinized 
me  in  a  most  provoking  manner.  Then  he  smiled,  va 
cantly,  and  replied: 

"Really,  don't  you  know,  I  believe  you  are  the  same 
person  I  met  on  board  the  Pacific  steamer.  The  one — 
aw — who  addressed  me  by  the  name  of — of " 

He  stammered,  as  if  vaguely  trying  to  remember  some 
unimportant  word.  I  speedily  supplied  the  deficiency. 

"Alfred  Montague  Forbes,"  I  said,  grimly. 
"F-o-r-b-e-s,  Forbes,  with  a  big  F.  That  is  the  name 
you  gave  me  in  Chicago  when  I  was  enabled  to  do  you 
a  slight  service." 

"I — aw — really  cawn't  understand  you,  don't  you 
know,"  persisted  my  companion.  Then  he  added,  plaint 
ively:  "It's  a  beastly  shame  that  an  English  gentleman 
cawn't  travel  without  meeting  with  such  annoyances. 
Here  I  have  been  arrested — really  arrested — by  these  beg 
garly  Japs  as  a  writer,  or  something  of  that  sort.  I — I 


Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship.  49 

shall  lodge  a  complaint  with  the  British  Minister,  and 
have  a  couple  of  Her  Majesty's  gunboats  come  over  here 
and  teach  them  a  lesson,  don't  you  know." 

"Good!  That's  splendid  acting,"  I  said,  ironically. 
"Did  you  do  as  well  before  the  general  out  there?" 

My  words  disconcerted  him.  Dropping  the  glass  from 
his  eye,  he  asked,  in  a  more  business-like  voice : 

"Who  are  you,  anyway?" 

"Stanley  Bennett,  and  I  always  have  been,"  I  replied, 
coldly.  "I  told  you  my  name  in  Chicago,  but  you  refused 
to  recognize  me  on  board  the  steamer." 

"Yes,  I  did.  I'll  confess  that,  and  I'll  apologize  at 
the  same  time,"  said  Forbes,  in  a  friendly  tone.  "My 
dear  fellow,  I  am  sorry,  but  it  was  a  case  of  necessity. 
I  have  a  little  story  to  tell  you,  and  I  think  you  will  for 
give  me  when  you  hear  it.  Let's  sit  down  and  make  our 
selves  comfortable.  They  probably  won't  disturb  us  for 
several  moments." 

I  obeyed,  wondering  what  plausible  lie  he  intended  to 
relate.  He  was  in  a  rather  desperate  situation,  and  I 
felt  that  he  would  resort  to  any  means  to  conceal  his  iden 
tity.  He  was  really  a  splendid  actor,  and  played  his  part 
so  well,  that,  if  I  had  not  discovered  his  true  character  in 
Yokohama  he  would  have  undoubtedly  deceived  me. 

The  finding  of  the  code-book  and  cablegram  in  front  of 
the  telegraph  office  was  most  fortunate,  and  I  fully  appre 
ciated  the  value  of  the  weapons  it  placed  in  my  hands  for 
use  in  this  war  of  wits.  What  puzzled  me,  however,  was 
how  Forbes  had  managed  to  follow  me  so  closely.  I  re 
solved  to  obtain  an  explanation  from  him. 


50  Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship. 

After  I  had  seated  myself,  he  walked  up  and  down  the 
little  apartment  for  a  moment,  doubtless  trying  to  weave 
his  story,  and  then  began  by  saying: 

"You  probably  feel  angry  at  me  for  refusing  to  recog 
nize  you,  but  I  had  good  cause,  or  I  thought  I  did.  I 
told  you  on  the  train  that  I  was  traveling  for  pleasure, 
and  that  I  intended  to  make  a  trip  to  the  Yellowstone  re 
gions.  That  was  not  true." 

"Then  you  lied,"  I  remarked,  bluntly. 

Forbes'  face  reddened  to  the  temples,  and  he  shot  a 
glance  at  me  which  did  not  seem  very  friendly.  He 
gulped  something  down  in  his  throat,  and  continued : 

"Yes,  if  you  wish  to  speak  so  crudely,  I  lied.  Now, 
look  here,  my  dear  fellow,  don't  make  this  confession  so 
hard  for  me.  I  only  tell  you  because  I  wish  to  make 
amends  for  my  actions,  and  because  I  am  in  a  deuce  of  a 
box,  and  misery  loves  company,  you  know.  The  fact  is, 
I  got  into  a  little  trouble  in  London,  and " 

"What  was  it,  check  or  bank  notes?"  I  interrupted, 
stifling  a  laugh. 

"What  do  you "  he  commenced,  fiercely,  then  recol 
lecting  his  part,  he  laughed  feebly,  and  added : 

"Oh,  yes,  I  see.  Ha!  ha!  a  good  joke.  It  was — er — 
bank  notes.  Now  we  understand  each  other,  I  suppose. 
I  had  to  clear  out  from  the  old  country  at  once.  I  went 
to  San  Francisco,  and  there  took  steamer  for  Japan. 
When  I  met  you  aboard  the  vessel  I  was  so  taken  back 
that  I  refused  to  recognize  you.  Thought  you  were  a 
detective,  by  Jove!  Ha!  ha!  ha!" 

During  this  speech  I  had  rapidly  evolved  a  plan.     I 


Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship.  51 

could  see  that  Forbes  was  very  proud  in  disposition,  and 
that  even  the  admission  of  a  theft  hurt  him,  but  at  the 
same  time  I  believed  that  he  was  unscrupulous.  I  there 
fore  resolved  to  punish  him,  and  also  to  protect  myself 
from  suspicion.  Springing  to  my  feet,  I  grasped  his  hand 
and  shook  it  warmly. 

"By  George!  old  boy,  we  are  in  the  same  boat,"  I  ex 
claimed,  with  a  boisterous  laugh.  "You  made  away  with 
somebody's  bank  notes  for  the  purpose  of  having  a  good 
time,  and  I  played  the  little  game  for  the  same  reason.  I 
have  been  traveling  for  an  Eastern  house,  but  becoming 
tired  of  work,  I  collected  a  lot  of  funds  and  skipped  for 
parts  unknown.  Ha !  ha !  Birds  of  a  feather,  you  know. 
You — what's  up?" 

He  had  jerked  his  hand  from  mine  with  a  muttered 
ejaculation. 

"What's  up?"  I  repeated.  "Don't  you  want  to 
shake " 

"Yes,  yes,  that's  all  right,"  Forbes  hastily  replied.  "I 
have — er — a  sore  ringer,  and  it  hurts  when  you  touch  it. 
So  you  have  been  in  a  little  trouble,  too,  eh?  How  did 
you  get  to  Corea  ?" 

"I  was  just  on  the  point  of  asking  you  the  same  ques 
tion,"  I  replied,  evasively.  "How  did  you  happen  to 
strike  this  out-of-the-way  village?" 

"I  was  brought  here  by  those  confounded  Japanese  sol 
diers,"  he  answered,  grimly.  "After  reaching  Yokohama, 
I  found  so  many  Englishmen  that  I  concluded  it  wouldn't 
be  safe  to  remain  there,  so  I  secured  passage  on  an 
English  gunboat,  whose  captain  very  obligingly  carried 


52  Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship. 

me  to  Chemulpo.  I  arrived  there  yesterday  morning,  and 
immediately  went  to  Seoul.  Something  told  me  it  would 
be  best  to  conceal  myself  in  a  smaller  city,  so  I  started 
north,  but  was  arrested  by  a  company  of  Japanese  soldiers 
this  morning,  and  brought  here.  Just  because  they  found 
a  notebook  on  me  they  concluded  I  was  a  correspondent, 
or  something  of  that  sort.  Deuced  ridiculous,  isn't  it  ?" 

''Very,"  I  replied.  "It's  a  shame  two  gentlemen  like 
you  and  me  (?)  cannot  enjoy  ourselves  without  such  an 
noyances.  My  experience  has  been  similar  to  yours.  I 
came  here  on  a  coaster  for  the  same  reason,  and  in  trying 
to  find  my  way  to  Seoul  was  picked  up  as  a  spy  or  some 
thing.  I  wonder  what  they  will  do  with  us  ?" 

"Turn  us  over  to  our  respective  governments,  I  sup 
pose,"  Forbes  replied,  with  a  groan. 

During  the  conversation,  darkness  had  fallen.  As  yet, 
no  lights  had  been  placed  in  the  room,  and  we  sat  in  the 
gloom  without  speaking  for  a  while.  Now  that  the  ex 
citement  of  meeting  the  young  Englishman  had  subsided, 
I  began  to  wonder  how  the  present  adventure  would  turn 
out. 

My  thoughts  reverted  to  Osaki.  What  had  become  of 
him?  Was  he  also  locked  up  in  the  village,  or  had  he 
been  sent  away?  The  unselfish  nature  of  the  Japanese 
youth  had  affected  me  strongly,  and  I  resolved  to  continue 
our  friendship  if  possible. 

Becoming  restless,  I  rose  to  my  feet,  and  began  to  pace 
up  and  down.  Presently,  in  nearing  the  rear  wall,  I 
thought  I  heard  a  voice.  I  asked  Forbes  if  he  had  spoken, 


Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship.  53 

but  he  made  a  negative  reply.  My  curiosity  aroused,  I 
crept  close  to  the  bamboo  partition,  and  listened  intently. 
Suddenly  a  warning  whisper  came  to  my  ears  from  the 
other  side. 

"Hist!  Bennett,  do  you  hear  me?"  came  the  words  in 
Osaki's  voice. 

I  instantly  replied  in  the  same  tone.  A  moment  later 
the  sounds  of  a  sharp  knife  cutting  through  wood  were 
heard,  and  presently  a  dark  figure  slipped  through  a 
jagged  opening  in  the  wall. 

The  next  second,  the  young  officer — for  it  was  he — and 
I  were  shaking  hands  as  if  we  had  known  each  other  for 
years.  This  friendly  ceremony  was  speedily  brought  to 
an  end,  however. 

"Come.  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose,"  whispered 
Osaki.  "If  you  do  not  escape  now  you  will  be  sent  to 
Chemulpo  in  the  morning.  Hurry !  Follow  me.  I  will 
explain  everything  later." 

He  turned  to  retrace  his  steps,  with  the  intention  of 
leading  the  way,  when  suddenly  a  hand  touched  him  on 
the  shoulder,  and  the  drawling  voice  of  the  English  youth 
came  through  the  gloom. 

"Just  wait  a  moment,  please,"  it  said.  "I  think  I'll 
make  a  third  member  of  your  little  party.  If  you  offer 
any  objections,  I'll  be  compelled  to  call " 

With  a  muttered  imprecation,  Osaki  wheeled  swiftly, 
and  gave  the  speaker  a  violent  shove  backward.  Forbes 
fell  against  a  chair  and  overturned  it  with  a  crash.  At 
the  same  time,  he  shouted,  lustily: 


54  Osaki  Shows  His  Friendship. 

"Help!  help!     Help!  help!" 

An  echoing  cry  came  from  the  outer  room,  the  door 
was  violently  dashed  open,  and  the  general,  at  the  head 
of  several  soldiers,  rushed  toward  us,  brandishing  their 
swords ! 


CHAPTER  VII. 

IN    WHICH    WE    ARE    ATTACKED. 

If  it  had  not  been  for  Osaki's  coolness  and  presence 
of  mind,  all  would  have  been  lost.  The  situation  was 
critical. 

When  Forbes  gave  the  alarm,  it  did  not  seem  more 
than  a  moment  before  the  door  was  thrown  open  and 
the  general,  at  the  head  of  his  soldiers,  appeared. 

During  that  short  space  of  time,  however,  the  Jap 
anese  youth  had  grasped  my  arm  and  we  were  half 
way  through  the  opening  in  the  wall.  A  loud  yell 
behind  us  indicated  that  we  were  seen. 

The  sound  acted  as  a  veritable  spur,  and  we  were 
soon  outside.  I  have  a  confused  recollection  of  run 
ning  swiftly  across  a  small  garden,  of  hearing  a  hubbub 
of  shouts  and  shrill  outcries,  then  we  were  brought  to 
a  sudden  stop  by  a  tall  bamboo  fence. 

It  is  a  queer  thing,  but  in  that  supreme  moment  of 
peril,  a  recollection  came  to  me  of  how  a  boyish  chum 
and  I  had  overcome  sudi  an  obstacle  while  in  pursuit 
of  forbidden  apples. 

Hurriedly  bidding  Osaki  stand  firm,  I  crawled  up  on 
his  shoulders,  and  grasped  the  top  of  the  wall.  Draw 
ing  myself  up,  I  obtained  a  secure  hold,  and  then 
reached  down  and  helped  my  companion  to  a  position 


56  We  are  Attacked. 

beside  me.  From  there  we  leaped  into  a  narrow  road 
just  as  a  party  of  soldiers  darted  after  us. 

A  shot  was  fired,  but  it  whistled  harmlessly  through 
the  air.  It  served  its  purpose,  however,  in  giving  an 
alarm.  In  what  seemed  less  than  a  moment  the  vil 
lage  was  alive.  Lights  flashed  here  and  there  from  the 
various  cottages  in  which  the  different  troops  had  been 
quartered,  doors  were  dashed  open,  and  the  entire  pop 
ulation  poured  into  the  streets. 

A  drum  sent  out  a  harsh  rat-a-tat  somewhere  on  the 
right,  and  then  immediately  following  came  the  sullen 
boom  of  a  cannon.  I  heard  my  companion  mutter 
some  forcible  Japanese  word,  but  still  we  sped  on,  on 
through  the  darkness. 

Presently  I  espied  several  shadowy  forms  ahead,  and 
pointed  them  out  to  Osaki.  We  halted  and  then  re 
sumed  our  flight  in  another  direction.  After  running 
three  or  four  blocks,  we  heard  the  tramping  of  many 
feet  in  front,  and  again  changed  our  course. 

Thus  twisting  and  turning  like  a  fox  pursued  by 
hounds,  we  made  the  best  of  our  way  without  mishap 
to  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  Then,  just  as  we  con 
cluded  to  rest  for  a  second,  there  came  the  sound  of  a 
man  running  behind  us. 

We  barely  had  time  to  crouch  in  the  shadows  of  a 
lofty  moharae  bush  when  a  ruddy  glare  illumined  the 
crooked  street,  near  the  end  of  which  we  had  taken 
refuge. 

The  light  came  from  a  score  of  torches,  and  outlined 
against  it  was  the  figure  of  a  youth  clad  in  European 


We  are  Attacked.  57 

costume.  He  was  running  at  his  utmost  speed,  and 
dashed  past  us,  disappearing  in  the  darkness  of  the 
surrounding  paddy-fields — but  not  before  we  had  rec 
ognized  in  him  the  young  English  correspondent,  Al 
fred  Montague  Forbes. 

Before  I  could  do  more  than  utter  an  exclamation, 
a  squad  of  soldiers  followed  in  close  pursuit.  We  bur 
rowed  ourselves  in  the  tall  grass,  and  escaped  discov 
ery.  But  it  was  such  a  close  call  that  I  could  feel  my 
companion  trembling  like  an  aspen  with  the  excitement 
and  strain. 

"Come,  now  is  our  chance,"  he  muttered,  hoarsely. 

Grasping  my  arm,  he  arose  to  his  feet,  and  together 
we  turned  and  fled  in  a  direction  at  right  angles  from 
that  taken  by  the  soldiers.  Fortune  favored  us,  and  we 
sped  on  for  almost  an  hour  without  meeting  a  soul. 

When  we  finally  reached  a  place  out  of  sight  and 
hearing  of  the  village,  Osaki  called  a  halt,  and  we  threw 
ourselves  upon  the  ground  for  a-brief  rest.  I  was  glad 
of  the  opportunity,  as  the  long  run  and  the  excitement 
had  exhausted  me. 

As  yet  not  a  word  had  passed  between  us.  The  sud 
den  and  totally  unexpected  appearance  of  the  young 
Japanese  officer,  the  escape  from  the  room,  and  the 
subsequent  flight  through  the  village  had  all  occurred 
so  quickly  that  conversation  was  impossible. 

Osaki's  actions  in  rescuing  me  from  prison  rather  be 
wildered  me,  to  tell  the  truth.  That  he  had  taken 
desperate  chances  and  had  incurred  the  peril  of  death 
was  evident.  What  had  prompted  him?  I  was  on  the 


58  We  are  Attacked. 

point  of  asking  him  several  questions  when  he  sud 
denly  sprang  erect  and  said: 

"This  spot  is  too  exposed,  Bennett.  Detached 
squads  of  the  regiment  may  happen  along  at  any  mo 
ment.  I  think  I  know  a  place  where  we  can  conceal 
ourselves  for  a  couple  of  hours.  We  must  have  time 
to  talk  over  matters  and  arrange  our  plans." 

"You  are  right,"  I  replied.  "That  is  absolutely  nec 
essary.  Where  are  you  going  now?" 

"Follow  me,"  he  responded,  briefly,  starting  off  at  a 
fast  walk. 

I  obeyed  in  silence.  Leaving  the  country  lane,  at  the 
side  of  which  we  had  halted,  we  struck  across  a  stretch 
of  field  belonging  to  some  farm.  The  intense  darkness 
of  the  night  had  given  way  to  a  fainter  gloom,  and  pres 
ently  a  full  moon  struggled  from  behind  a  bank  of 
clouds,  flooding  the  scene  with  a  mellow  light. 

With  a  short  imprecation,  Osaki  crouched  down,  and 
then  measured  his  length  upon  the  ground.  I  followed 
his  example,  wondering  what  he  had  discovered. 
Touching  me  on  the  arm,  he  pointed  to  where  a  small 
bamboo  hut  was  perched  up  on  a  skeleton  frame. 

I  recognized  it  at  once.  It  was  one  of  the  peculiar 
lookouts  constructed  by  the  farmers  of  the  country  for 
the  purpose  of  watching  their  crops — guarding  the 
growing  rice  and  grain  against  plunderers,  both  human 
and  feathered. 

I  now  saw  what  had  alarmed  my  companion.  De 
scending  a  notched  stick  forming  the  primitive  ladder 


We  are   Attacked.  59 

was  a  native  Corean.  He  appeared  to  be  in  a  hurry, 
and  soon  reached  the  ground. 

"Has  he  seen  us?"I  whispered. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Osaki,  in  the  same  tone. 
"We  were  half-way  across  this  field  before  the  moon 
came  out,  and  he  would  surely  have  caught  sight  of  us 
if  he  had  been  glancing  in  our  direction.  If  I  thought 


A  significant  movement  of  his  right  hand,  in  which 
was  grasped  a  keen-edged  knife,  completed  the  sen 
tence. 

There  was  no  necessity  for  violence,  however.  The 
fellow  walked  away  in  an  opposite  direction,  and  we 
soon  lost  sight  of  him.  I  was  glad  of  it,  as  the  poor 
native  might  have  fallen  an  innocent  victim  to  curiosity 
or  to  his  own  duty  if  he  had  discovered  us. 

We  remained  stretched  out  between  two  earthy  fur 
rows  for  several  moments,  then  my  companion  signified 
an  intention  of  resuming  the  march  toward  the  place 
of  concealment  he  had  suggested. 

Waiting  until  the  tell-tale  face  of  the  moon  was  ob 
scured  by  a  cloud,  we  started  off  at  a  rapid  pace.  While 
passing  the  watchman's  rude  tower-like  hut  a  sudden 
thought  struck  me. 

Why  should  it  not  make  a  good  hiding-place  for  the 
time  being?  I  was  so  pleased  with  the  idea  that  I  im 
mediately  asked  Osaki  if  the  farmers  remained  in  them 
all  night." 

"Sometimes,  but  not  often,"  he  replied.  "When  the 
crops  are  ready  to  harvest  they  stand  watch,  and  watch 


60  We  are   Attacked. 

the  whole  twenty-four  hours.  At  this  season  of  the 
year  they  are  not  so  particular." 

"Then  that  fellow  has  gone  home  for  the  night  ?" 

"Yes,  I  think  so.     Why?" 

"What  is  the  matter  with  concealing  ourselves  up 
there  for  several  hours  or  so?"  I  said,  suggestively. 
"If  the  soldiers  happened  along  they  would  hardly  think 
of  searching  it." 

"By  George !  I  believe  it  is  a  good  idea,"  replied  the 
young  officer,  quickly.  "You  wait  here  for  a  second, 
and  I'll  see  if  it  is  tenanted.  There  may  be  a  fellow 
up  there  now." 

He  left  me  and  climbed  up  the  notched  beam  with 
surprising  rapidity.  After  a  while  I  heard  him  calling 
me  to  ascend.  A  moment  later  I  crawled  through  the 
little  opening  forming  the  doorway,  and  just  in  time  to 
escape  being  exposed  by  the  rays  of  the  moon.  Its  light 
showed  me  that  we  were  in  a  small  apartment  with 
bamboo  walls  and  floor  and  a  dry  thatched  roof.  It  was 
flimsily  constructed,  and-  swayed  to  and  fro  with  every 
passing  breeze. 

"Be  careful  when  you  walk  around,"  smiled  Osaki, 
"as  the  floor  might  give  way  to  the  ground  with  an  un 
pleasant  suddenness." 

"I  don't  think  I  will  tempt  fortune,  but  I'll  just  sit 
down  and  ask  you  a  few  questions,"  I  replied,  suiting 
the  action  to  the  word.  "In  the  first  place,  my  good 
friend,  have  you  any  definite  plan?" 

"Yes,  or  I  may  say,  a  part  of  one,"  he  responded.     "I 


We   are  Attacked.  61 

suppose  I  had  better  begin  at  the  beginning,  as  it  were, 
and  tell  you  all." 

"That's  the  best  idea,  because  I  haven't  yet  recovered 
from  my  surprise  at  seeing  you  come  through  that  wall. 
What  did  the  general  do  with  you  after  he  sent  me  into 
the  next  room  ?" 

"Placed  me  under  arrest,"  grimly  replied  Osaki ;  "and 
he  didn't  hesitate  long  about  it,  either.  General  Su- 
matka  is  one  of  our  most  brilliant  officers,  but  he  has, 
as  one  of  your  authors  puts  it,  'a  heart  of  iron  under  an 
exterior  of  velvet.' ': 

"I  found  that  out,"  I  said,  with  a  half  laugh  at  the 
recollection.  "When  I  was  taken  before  him,  I  thought 
he  intended  to  become  a  personal  friend  of  mine.  Why, 
he  smiled  in  the  most  good-natured  manner  when  he 
told  me  that  he  would  send  me  from  the  country,  or 
words  to  that  effect." 

"Well,  I  hadn't  been  in  the  guardhouse  an  hour  be 
fore  I  learned  that  my  sentence  had  been  pronounced," 
continued  the  young  officer. 

"And  without  a  trial?"  I  asked,  indignantly. 

"A  trial  was  not  needed.  I  had  been  caught  in  a 
flagrant  attempt  to  shield  a  foreign  correspondent  from 
discovery,  so  nothing  remained  but  to  fix  the  punish 
ment,  which  was  transportation  back  to  Japan  as  a 
court-martial  prisoner." 

"That  was  hard,"  I  murmured.  "And  I  am  to  blame 
for  your  misfortune,  Osaki.  In  the  goodness  of  your 
heart  you  saved  me  from  those  Chinese  soldiers,  and 
because  I  am  an  American,  you  did  not  wish  to  see  me 


62  We  are  Attacked. 

get  into  trouble.  What  I  should  have  done  was  to  let 
them  deport  me,  and  then  return." 

"You  are  determined  to  carry  out  your  orders,"  my 
companion  replied,  with  a  slight  smile. 

"That  is  what  I  was  sent  here  for.  But  go  ahead 
with  your  explanation." 

"As  soon  as  I  learned  my  sentence,  I  made  up  my 
mind  that  I  would  not  be  sent  back  like  a  common 
criminal,  but  would  remain  to  fight  the  battles  of  my 
country  despite  General  Sumatka.  I  knew  what  such  a 
course  meant,  but  it  did  not  shake  my  resolve.  I  have 
friends  among  the  soldiers  of  the  regiment,  and  I  per 
suaded  one  of  the  sentries  to  permit  me  to  escape. 
That  was  just  after  dark.  It  did  not  take  me  long  to 
make  my  way  to  where  you  were  confined.  I  knew  the 
locality,  and — well,  you  know  the  rest." 

"I  do  not  know  the  rest!"  I  exclaimed,  gratefully; 
"and  I  couldn't  tell  you  in  a  hundred  years  how  much 
I  appreciate  your  kindness  to  me.  You  knew  that  I 
would  never  give  up  my  duty,  and  you  have  sacrificed 
yourself  for  my  sake.  I  will  never  forget  it,  Osaki. 
But  tell  me,  you  will  be  treated  as  a  deserter  if  you 
are  caught,  will  you  not?" 

"Yes,  as  a  deserter,"  replied  my  companion,  in  a  low 
tone. 

"And  the  punishment  is " 

"Death!" 

Neither  of  us  spoke  for  a  while.  Finally  I  reached 
over  and  touched  Osaki  upon  the  shoulder.  He 
glanced  at  me,  and  I  saw  by  the  bright  light  of  the 


We  are  Attacked.  63 

moon  that  his  face  wore  an  expression  of  stern  deter 
mination. 

Nevertheless,  I  said,  firmly: 

"My  good  friend,  you  must  not  do  this.  If  you  re 
turn  now  and  confess  your  fault,  perhaps  the  authori 
ties  will  not  be  severe.  Leave  me.  I  can  manage  to 
find  my  way  north  to  this  place  where  the  next  de 
cisive  battle  is  to  be  fought.  You " 

"Say  no  more,  Bennett,  my  mind  is  made  up,"  he 
interrupted.  "I  will  not  be  sent  back  to  Japan  while 
my  country  needs  the  help  of  her  sons.  I  have  a  plan. 
We  will  join  forces  and  follow  the  army.  I  will  act 
as  a  spy,  and  make  frequent  trips  among  the  enemy, 
and  you  can  write  your  correspondence.  You  will 
help  me,  and  I  will  help  you.  Is  it  a  bargain?" 

"You  are  determined  in  this?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  emphatically  so!"  he  replied. 

"Well,  you  know  that  I  would  like  nothing  better  on 
earth,"  I  said,  gladly.  "With  you  as  a  companion,  I 
will,  indeed,  be  in  fortune's  way.  We  will  form  an 
alliance,  offensive  and  defensive,  and  from  now  on  we 
will  work,  each  for  the  other's  interest.  My  sympa 
thies  are  with  the  Japanese,  anyway,  and  I  would  do 
a  great  deal  for  them,  and  for  you.  It  is  settled." 

"What  weapons  have  you?"  asked  Osaki,  after  a 
moment's  pause. 

"None,"  I  replied.  "That  kind-hearted  general  had 
me  searched  and  his  men  took  a  splendid  brace  of 
revolvers  from  me.  Have  you  anything?" 

"Nothing  but   this   short  knife.     We   will  secure  a 


64  We  are  Attacked. 

gun  or  two  later  on.  Now,  I  think  we  had  better  be 
moving.  I  know  the  roads  about  here  pretty  well,  and 
we  can  manage  to  cover  a  dozen  miles  or  so  before 
daylight.  By  the  way,  what  about  that  Englishman 
who  gave  the  alarm?  Who  is  he?" 

Without  the  slightest  hesitation,  I  gave  the  young 
officer  a  full  description  of  all  that  had  taken  place  since 
I  met  Forbes  in  Chicago.  It  was  breaking  my  rule  of 
silence,  but  Osaki  surely  deserved  all  confidence. 

"Then  he  really  is  a  rival  correspondent  against 
whom  you  have  been  warned  by  your  people,  eh?"  he 
said.  "He  represents  the  British  Press  Association, 
too,  which  means  that  every  report  sent  by  him  will  be 
in  favor  of  China." 

"That  is  true,"  I  replied.  "England  is  not  a  friend 
of  Japan,  and  naturally  your  successes  in  the  field  will 
be  belittled  by  that  government." 

"This  is  another  way  in  which  I  can  help  my  coun 
try,"  said  Osaki,  thoughtfully.  "It  is  just  possible  that 
Japan  will  have  to  negotiate  a  foreign  loan  before  the 
end  of  this  war.  If  derogatory  reports  are  sent  out, 
my  government  will  find  it  a  hard  matter  to  secure 
the  money,  or  will,  in  all  events,  be  compelled  to  pay 
an  enormous  interest.  Bennett,  I  am  with  you,  heart 
and  soul  now,  and  it  will  be  very  peculiar,  or,  as  you 
Americans  call  it,  very  'funny/  if  we  don't  circumvent 
this  British  correspondent." 

"There  is  one  thing  about  it,"  I  said.  "I  am  afraid 
we  will  find  it  rather  difficult  to  get  our  dispatches  to 
the  States.  I  should  send  one  now,  giving  the  descrip- 


We  are  Attacked.  65 

tion  of  this  morning's  battle,  and  also  a  notification  of 
the  conflict  impending  at  Ping  An.  What  is  your  ad 
vice?  It  won't  do  to  attempt  to  use  the  Japanese 
military  telegraph  from  Seoul  to  the  front?" 

"That  is  out  of  the  question,"  replied  Osaki,  slowly. 
"By  the  way,  I  heard  this  afternoon  that  the  emperor 
has  given  orders  to  permit  all  foreign  correspondents 
to  follow  the  army  of  occupation.  He  intends  to  sup 
ply  them  with  rations,  and  to  treat  them  with  the  ut 
most  consideration." 

"Including  a  strict  scrutiny  of  their  dispatches,"  I 
said,  laughingly. 

My  companion  smiled. 

"I  presume  you  are  right,"  he  answered.  "The  au 
thorities  will  naturally  not  let  anything  through  of 
which  they  don't  approve." 

"Well,  I  came  here  to  obtain  authentic  news,  so  I 
think  I  will  remain  incog,  for  a  while  longer,  despite 
the  risk,"  I  replied,  firmly.  "But  about  this  present 
dispatch.  It  ought  to  go  to  Shanghai  or  Yokohama 
at  once,  but  if  we  make  a  detour  toward  Chemulpo, 
we  may  lose  the  battle  at  Ping  An.  I  guess  it  had 
better  wait." 

Osaki  agreed,  so  we  prepared  to  leave  our  place  of 
concealment.  He  returned  me  the  notebook  and 
money  I  had  given  him  in  the  deserted  hut,  where 
we  had  been  captured,  then  he  crawled  to  the  little 
opening  of  the  watch-tower  with  the  intention  of  de 
scending. 

As  he  moved  away,  a  peculiar  noise  came  to  my  ears. 


66  We  are  Attacked. 

My  companion  also  heard  it,  and  he  stopped  in  alarm. 
There  was  a  moment  of  silence,  then  a  subdued  mur 
mur  of  voices  came  from  below. 

Quick  as  a  flash,  we  both  wormed  our  way  to  the 
little  door  and  looked  down.  The  sight  that  met  our 
gaze  was  terrifying  in  the  extreme.  Grouped  about 
the  lower  timbers  of  the  structure  were  at  least  two- 
score  natives,  armed  with  ancient  spears  and  bows  and 
arrows.  They  had  come  to  attack  us! 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

IN  WHICH  WE  ARE  AGAIN  IN  LUCRES  WAY. 

"What  in  Heaven's  name  does  this  mean,  Osaki?" 
I  asked,  hurriedly.  "Are  they  after  us?" 

My  companion  drew  his  knife  with  a  gesture  which 
spoke  more  plainly  than  words.  It  told  me  that  we 
were  in  deadly  peril,  and  I  glanced  around  the  little 
apartment  for  a  possible  weapon  of  defense. 

It  was  bare,  with  the  exception  of  a  fragment  of  stick 
lying  in  one  corner.  I  darted  over  to  secure  this,  when 
— crack!  went  the  flimsy  bamboo  floor,  and  down  I 
fell,  through  the  jagged  opening. 

Involuntarily  throwing  out  my  hands,  I  managed  to 
grasp  a  short  supporter  or  girder,  about  midway  be 
tween  the  lookout  and  the  ground.  The  shock  caused 
by  the  sudden  stop  almost  dislocated  my  arms,  but  I 
held  tight,  and  after  swinging  back  and  forth  for  a 
moment,  contrived  to  draw  myself  up  on  the  beam. 

A  wild  yell  came  from  below  when  I  made  my  theat 
rical  appearance.  The  crowd  scattered  in  alarm,  then 
reassembled,  and  began  to  threaten  me  with  their  long 
spears. 

Two  or  three  of  the  most  daring  discharged  several 
arrows  at  me.  The  slender  shafts  whizzed  perilously 
near  my  head,  and  I  dodged  with  the  greatest  alacrity. 


68  In  Luck's  Way. 

At  that  moment  I  heard  a  noise  above,  and  looked  up 
to  see  the  figure  of  the  young  Japanese  officer  de 
scending  the  notched  ladder  hand  over  hand. 

"Go  back,  Osaki!"  I  shouted.  "You  can't  fight 
them  alone.  Go  back!" 

"No  use,"  he  replied,  grimly.  "We  might  as  well 
have  it  out  now.  Can  you  swing  down  from  there?" 

"Easy  enough,"  I  said,  measuring  the  distance  with 
my  eye.  "We  are  in  a  pretty  bad  fix,  old  fellow, 
but  here  goes." 

It  was  taking  desperate  chances,  but  nothing  else 
remained.  I  was  entirely  unarmed,  and  my  compan 
ion  had  only  a  short  knife,  while  the  mob  of  natives 
beneath  were  well  provided  with  bows  and  spears. 
Still  they  had  us  entrapped,  and  we  were  compelled  to 
fight. 

Even  while  preparing  to  drop  down  among  them, 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  peculiar  change  in  my 
life  a  few  short  weeks  had  caused.  Two  months  pre 
vious  I  was  leading  a  life  of  the  most  humdrum  de 
scription,  with  only  the  few  diversions  common  to  the 
lot  of  a  reporter,  while  now — I  breathed  a  short  prayer, 
set  my  teeth  firmly,  and  shot  down  into  the  very  midst 
of  the  yelling  horde  of  Coreans. 

I  fortunately  landed  upon  my  feet;  otherwise  I  prob 
ably  would  have  never  arisen  again.  The  mob  closed 
in  around  me,  but  at  that  moment  Osaki  swung  him 
self  from  the  primitive  ladder,  and  alighted  at  my 
side. 

I  just  had  time  to  notice  him  when  a  grizzly  whis- 


In  Luck's  Way.  69 

kered  native  rushed  at  me  with  a  short  spear.  Strik 
ing  out  blindly,  I  dashed  it  away,  and  then  turned  to 
grapple  with  another  assailant. 

He  was  armed  with  a  bow,  which  he  attempted. to 
use  at  close  quarters,  but  before  he  could  draw  the 
string  I  had  him  by  the  throat.  I  had  never  realized 
what  strength  I  really  possessed  until  that  second. 

It  seemed  that  he  was  but  a  child  in  my  hands. 
Forcing  him  backward  with  one  hand,  I  grasped  a  short 
native  sword  from  his  girdle,  and  then  flung  him  to 
the  ground  in  a  lifeless  heap. 

"Good  for  you!"  I  heard  Osaki  gasp. 

After  that  the  scene  was  a  confused  jumble  of  cuts 
and  thrusts,  of  shouts  of  rage,  and  cries  of  anguish, 
of  struggling  back  and  forth  over  a  ground  made  slip 
pery  by  the  life  blood  of  more  than  one  man,  and  then 
just  as  the  young  Japanese  officer  and  I  found  our 
selves  back  to  back,  fighting  with  falling  strength  against 
overwhelming  odds,  a  shrill  cry  came  from  one  of  the 
natives. 

In  much  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  those 
of  the  Coreans  who  were  not  lying  either  dead  or 
wounded  in  the  field  took  to  their  heels.  I  looked  after 
them  in  blank  astonishment,  hardly  believing  my  senses. 

A  sharp  exclamation  from  my  companion  caused  me 
to  glance  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  I  saw,  bathed 
in  the  rays  of  the  moon,  a  party  of  Japanese  soldiers 
coming  toward  us  from  the  little  road. 

"Quick!  Follow  me!"  almost  shouted  Osaki.  "Run 
for  your  very  life,  man,  or  we'll  be  captured." 


7O  In  Luck's  Way. 

I  did  not  need  a  second  bidding.  Still  holding  my 
sword,  I  darted  after  the  young  officer.  A  hoarse  com 
mand  came  from  behind  us,  but  we  only  ran  the 
faster. 

Suddenly  Osaki  stumbled  and  fell.  I  was  so  close 
to  his  heels  that  I  tripped  over  his  prostrate  body  and 
measured  my  length  upon  the  soft  ground.  We  were 
up  almost  instantly,  and  a  moment  later  reached  a 
fringe  of  woods  at  the  edge  of  the  field. 

In  and  out  among  the  trees  we  sped,  now  bumping 
into  fallen  logs,  and  then  forcing  our  way  through 
prickly  bushes — on,  on,  until  at  last  I  was  compelled  to 
stop  from  sheer  exhaustion. 

My  companion  was  equally  distressed,  and  he  halted 
at  the  same  time.  Leaning  against  the  smooth  bark  of 
a  soduri  tree,  we  listened  intently  for  sounds  of  pursuit. 

All  was  quiet,  however.  We  had  escaped  a  second 
time. 

"It  won't  do  to  remain  here  any  longer  than  we  can 
help,"  I  said.  "That  last  call  was  entirely  too  close." 

Osaki  evidently  agreed  with  me,  as  we  speedily  re 
sumed  our  march,  striking  off  at  as  good  a  gait  as  our 
tired  legs  would  permit. 

"It  was  our  impression  that  the  coming  of  a  party 
of  soldiers  would  mean  the  direst  misfortune  for  us,"  I 
said,  after  a  while,  "but  in  the  present  case  I  really  be 
lieve  we  owe  our  lives  to  their  appearance." 

"You  are  right.  We  couldn't  have  lasted  much 
longer." 


In   Luck's  Way.  71 

"How  in  the  deuce  did  those  natives  know  we  were  up 
there,  anyway?"  I  asked. 

"That  fellow  we  saw  descend  the  ladder  when  we  en 
tered  the  field  must  have  espied  us,"  replied  the  young 
officer.  "He  was  shrewd  enough  not  to  give  an  alarm 
until  he  had  reached  a  safe  distance.  All's  well  that 
ends  well,  but  I  should  have  obeyed  my  first  inclination 
and  captured  the  farmer.  I'll  not  take  any  risks  next 
time." 

"What  is  your  present  plan  ?  How  far  can  we  travel 
before  daylight?" 

"I  think  it  is  about  midnight,"  replied  the  Japanese 
youth,  squinting  at  the  sky  through  the  tree  branches. 
"We  ought  to  make  at  least  twelve  miles  before  sunrise. 
I  should  judge  we  are  now  about  three  English  leagues 
from  the  village  we  left  in  such  a  hurry." 

"Can  we  travel  during  the  day?" 

"Yes,  but  we  must  strike  off  toward  the  eastern 
coast,"  replied  Osaki,  thoughtfully.  "It  will  take  us  out 
of  our  way,  but  we  can't  afford  to  keep  near  the  field 
telegraph  line." 

"Advices  of  our  escape  must  have  been  sent  to  every 
station,  eh  ?" 

"Yes.  It  is  known  clear  to  Won  San  by  this  time. 
That  is  the  extreme  outpost  of  the  army." 

"How  far  is  it  to  Ping  An  from  here?" 

"Not  less  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  by  the 
way  we  will  have  to  travel." 

"Whew!"  I  whistled,  in  surprise.  "We  surely  can't 
make  it  in  time  to  see  the  fight." 


72  In   Luck's  Way. 

"Easy  enough  if  nothing  happens,"  replied  the  young 
officer,  confidently.  "We  can  cover  thirty  miles  a  day 
without  trouble.  That  will  bring  us  there  in  five  days, 
and  I  hardly  believe  our  forces  can  be  in  readiness  be 
fore  then." 

"Is  there  no  way  of  riding?  No  horses,  or  mules,  or 
animals  of  some  kind  ?  I  have  plenty  of  -money,  both 
Japanese  and  Corean,  you  know." 

"I  am  afraid  we  will  have  to  depend  upon  Shank's 
mare,  as  your  people  call  it,"  smiled  Osaki.  "On  foot 
we  can  cross  fields,  cut  through  forests,  and  thereby 
keep  out  of  sight.  Awkward  questions  would  be  asked 
of  a  Japanese  soldier  and  a  well-dressed  young  Ameri 
can  traveling  together." 

•  I  glanced  down  at  my  soiled  and  torn  garments  with 
a  laugh,  but  I  could  see  that  my  companion  was  right. 
Secrecy  was  the  safest  course. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

IN    WHICH    WE   MEET   WITH   A  SURPRISE. 

We  plodded  along  without  speaking  for  fully  an  hour. 
Osaki  seemed  confident  of  the  proper  course  to  pursue, 
as  he  led  the  way  through  wooded  lands,  across  tilled 
fields,  and  by  the  banks  of  several  running  streams  with 
out  hesitation. 

My  thoughts  were  busy.  I  went  over  the  many 
thrilling  events  of  the  past  twenty  hours,  and  exulted 
over  the  splendid  material  for  a  story  they  presented. 
My  literary  ambitions — aside  from  a  journalistic  nature 
— received  an  added  impetus,  and  I  pondered  deeply  on 
the  size  of  the  forthcoming  volume,  which  publisher  I 
would  honor  with  my  work,  and  then  just  as  I  was — in 
imagination — reading  the  glowing  words  of  an  approv 
ing  public,  my  foot  caught  in  a  creeper  and  I  stumbled 
headlong  into  a  thorny  bush. 

It  was  a  rude  awakening,  but  it  served  to  bring  me 
back  to  my  present  position.  The  young  officer  laughed 
shortly  at  my  predicament,  and  I  resumed  the  march 
fully  aware  of  the  fact  that  I  was  a  fugitive  in  the  center 
of  the  Hermit  Kingdom,  and  needs  must  have  my  wits 
about  me. 

There  was  one  thing  that  troubled  me  greatly.  I  had 
safely  made  the  journey  from  New  York  to  the  scenes 


74  We  Meet  With  a  Surprise. 

of  my  labors.  I  had  succeeded  in  witnessing  a  battle 
between  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  forces,  I  was  in  pos 
session  of  much  valuable  news,  but  as  yet  I  could  see  no 
way  to  send  my  material  to  the  Press  Association. 

My  mission  would  result  in  dire  failure  if  I  could  not 
transmit  the  results  of  my  observations  to  my  employ 
ers.  In  fact,  I  might  as  well  be  in  the  States  if  I  failed 
to  attend  to  that  important  duty. 

I  was  just  beginning  to  realize  the  difficulties  con 
fronting  me,  and  I  was  not  half  as  confident  of  success 
as  I  had  been  while  on  my  way  West. 

True,  I  had  been  provided  with  plenty  of  money,  but 
I  had  already  found  out  that  gold  was  not  such  a  potent 
factor  in  Corea  as  it  was  at  home.  The  more  I  thought 
over  the  matter  the  greater  the  necessity  of  establishing 
some  means  of  communication  with  Shanghai — the 
cabling  station  of  China — became. 

"By  Jove !  something  must  be  done  at  once !"  I  said, 
half  aloud. 

"What  is  the  matter  now?"  asked  my  companion, 
halting  and  trying  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  my  face. 
"What  is  up?" 

I  explained  as  briefly  as  I  could,  adding: 

"I  may  as  well  return  home,  Osaki,  as  to  stay  here 
without  an  opportunity  to  send  my  dispatches  to  the 
office  in  New  York." 

"That  is  certainly  true,"  he  replied,  reflectively.  'T 
can  well  understand  that.  By  the  way,  what  arrange 
ments  have  you  made  for  cabling?  You  have  a  corre 
spondent  in  Yokohama,  haven't  you?" 


We   Meet  With  a  Surprise.  75 

"Yes,  John  Rodgers,  the  American  merchant,"  I  re 
plied.  "I  also  have  one  in  Shanghai.  His  name  is 
Walton,  and  he  has  a  trading  factory  in  the  foreign 
bund.  If  I  could  only  get  a  message  to  him,  it  would 
be  all  right,  as  he  has  a  supposed  commercial  cipher, 
which  he  could  use  without  exciting  suspicion.  But  the 
deuce  of  it  is,  how  am  I  going  to  communicate  with 
him?" 

"You  have  plenty  of  money,  you  say?"  asked  Osaki, 
thoughtfully. 

"Yes,  I  have  a  large  sum  with  me,  and  I  can  com 
mand  an  almost  unlimited  amount." 

"Well,  the  only  plan  under  the  circumstances  I  can 
think  of  is  to  wait  until  after  this  impending  battle  is 
fought,  and  then  try  to  buy  a  coasting  junk  in  one  of  the 
little  ports .  on  the  coast.  The  nearest  to  Ping  An  is 
Kiang  Tsiu." 

"That  is  a  splendid  idea,"  I  eagerly  replied.  "If  we 
can  only  secure  a  trusty  crew,  we  can  establish  a  regular 
service,  as  it  were,  between  that  port  and  Shanghai  or 
Nagasaki.  By  Jove !  what  a  lunkhead  I  was  not  to  do 
that  before." 

"I  suppose  you  were  anxious  to  get  to  the  front," 
smiled  Osaki.  "I  think  we  can  find  a  Japanese  trading 
captain  honest  enough  for  our  purposes.  It  will  take 
money,  but,  as  you  say,  that  is  no  object." 

I  felt  considerably  lighter  in  spirits  when  we  resumed 
the  march.  It  was  as  if  a  great  load  had  been  removed 
from  my  mind,  and  I  actually  attempted  a  cheerful  whis 
tle  as  we  plodded  along. 


76  We  Meet  With  a  Surprise. 

In  the  course  of  time  a  grayish  light  in  the  eastward 
proclaimed  the  near  approach  of  day.  We  had  been 
marching  almost  steadily  for  five  hours,  and  the  pace 
began  to  tell  on  me.  I  also  suddenly  found  out  that  I 
was  hungry. 

"Where  in  the  deuce  will  we  get  breakfast?"  I  finally 
asked.  "Do  you  know  of  any  Corean  Delmonico 
around  here?" 

"Hardly,"  laughed  Osaki.  "And  I  am  mightily  afraid 
that  we  will  have  to  steal  some  food  if  we  get  a  chance. 
We  will  strike  in  toward  a  road  and  see  what  we  can 
pick  up." 

At  the  end  of  another  half  hour  it  had  grown  light 
enough  for  us  to  see  some  distance  in  advance.  My 
companion  finally  espied  a  bamboo  house  in  the  middle 
of  a  primitive  garden.  After  reconnoitering  the  sur 
roundings  he  led  the  way  straight  to  the  door. 

Placing  his  shoulder  against  it,  the  young  officer 
forced  it  open  with  but  little  effort.  I  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  gloomy  interior,  then  the  half-clad  figure  of  a  native 
rushed  toward  us  in  alarm. 

Osaki  reached  out  and,  grasping  him  by  the  throat, 
forced  the  fellow  back  into  the  hut.  He  then  hurriedly 
bade  me  close  and  fasten  the  door.  I  promptly  obeyed, 
and  then  turned  to  see  that  my  companion  had  twisted 
the  folds  of  his  sash  around  his  prisoner's  hands. 

A  glance  showed  that  we  were  the  only  tenants  of  the 
room.  It  was  bare  of  furniture,  with  the  exception  of 
a  rude  pallet  in  one  corner,  and  a  couple  of  earthen 
crocks,  which  I  hoped  contained  food  and  drink. 


We  Meet  With  a  Surprise.  77 

"Now,  what  I  intend  to  do  is  to  compel  this  fellow  to 
give  us  something  to  eat,  and  to  provide  a  place  where 
we  can  sleep  for  three  or  four  hours,"  said  the  young 
officer.  "I  think  he  lives  here  alone,  so  if  we  secure 
him  so  he  cannot  escape  and  give  the  alarm,  we  shall 
be  all  right." 

After  stipulating  that  we  pay  the  fellow  well,  I  agreed 
to  the  plan.  We  found  a  quantity  of  boiled  rice  and 
some  cold  yumasi — a  species  of  pancake — and  satisfied 
our  hunger.  Then,  after  fastening  the  poor  wretch  to  a 
stake  driven  in  the  earthen  floor,  we  soon  fell  asleep. 

It  was  nearly  dark  when  we  awoke  at  last.  Everything 
remained  as  we  had  left  it.  The  native  was  slumbering 
placidly  where  we  had  tied  him.  Taking  the  balance  of 
the  food,  we  left  a  few  coins  upon  the  floor,  and  de 
parted,  confident  that  one  of  his  neighbors  would  re 
lease  him  from  his  predicament  in  good  time. 

For  the  better  part  of  that  night  and  the  following 
day  we  kept  up  the  march,  only  halting  now  and  again 
to  snatch  a  brief  rest,  or  to  repeat  our  experiment  in 
search  of  food. 

The  morning  of  the  fifth  day  found  us  within  sight  of 
a  broad  road,  which  Osaki  stated  was  the  main  highway 
from  Seoul  to  the  Chinese  border.  We  proceeded  very 
cautiously,  owing  to  the  appearance  of  several  Japanese 
regiments  on  the  march  to  the  front. 

Finally  my  companion  said  that  we  were  drawing  near 
Ping  An.  I  was  glad  of  it,  as  both  my  shoes  and  my 
strength  were  worn  out.  Shortly  after  noon  we  again 


78  We  Meet  With  a  Surprise. 

left  the  vicinity  of  the  road,  and  struck  through  a  broad 
forest. 

"We  will  find  a  river  at  the  edge  of  these  woods," 
said  Osaki.  "I  think  our  best  plan  is  to  camp  on  its 
banks  until  after  dark,  and  then  make  a  sortie  toward 
Ping  An,  which  lies  about  ten  miles  toward  the  right." 

A  few  moments  later  we  caught  sight  of  the  river 
through  the  trees.  I  was  for  rushing  forward  at  once  to 
lave  my  face,  but  the  young  officer  advised  caution. 
Creeping  ahead,  we  suddenly  came  upon  an  object  lying 
in  the  grass.  I  gave  a  start  of  surprise,  and  almost  cried 
out.  It  was  a  sailor's  cap — one  of  those  road  affairs 
commonly  worn  by  American  seamen.  At  the  same  mo 
ment,  Osaki  grasped  my  arm  and  pointed  to  where,  stand 
ing  upon  the  bank  of  the  river,  was  the  figure  of  a  white 
man,  evidently  an  American  by  his  appearance. 

Dumb  with  astonishment,  we  gaped  at  him  for  a  mo 
ment,  and  then  were  on  the  point  of  advancing  toward 
him,  when,  suddenly,  I  saw  a  couple  of  bushes  fringing 
the  top  of  a  little  knoll  beyond,  pressed  back,  and  several 
Chinese  soldiers  crept  stealthily  into  view. 


CHAPTER  X. 

IN  WHICH  WE  MAKE  THE  ACQUAINTANCE  OF  JACK  BUNCE. 

On  catching  sight  of  the  Chinese  soldiers,  Osaki  and  I 
instantly  dropped  to  the  ground  behind  a  decayed  log 
near  which  we  had  been  standing. 

"By  Jove!  they  are  after  that  fellow,"  I  heard  my 
companion  mutter.  "We  must  save  him  if  we  can." 

"Do  you  think  we  have  been  seen  ?"  I  asked,  in  a  simi 
lar  tone. 

"No;  they  are  still  looking  in  his  direction,"  replied 
the  young  officer,  peering  above  the  fallen  tree. 

I  followed  his  example,  and  glanced  from  behind  a 
projecting  branch.  The  Chinamen  had  halted  a  dozen 
yards  from  their  intended  prey,  and  were  holding  an 
animalcd  council  of  war. 

There  were  four  of  them,  villainous-looking  fellows, 
clad  in  dusty  blouses,  and  the  flat,  broad  sandees  used  by 
their  race  while  traveling.  Each  was  armed  with  a  short 
sword  and  an  ancient,  large  stock  pistol. 

"Scouts,"  whispered  Osaki,  laconically. 

He  was  evidently  right.  They  appeared  to  be  a  party 
sent  out  in  search  of  information,  and  chance  had  brought 
them  to  the  river  at  the  same  time  as  ourselves. 

But  what  of  the  mysterious  stranger  in  the  sailor  uni 
form  ? 


8o  Jack  Bunce. 

I  transferred  my  gaze  to  him.  He  stood  near  the 
water's  edge,  leisurely  washing  his  face,  apparently  totally 
unaware  of  the  near  presence  of  an  enemy.  We  could 
hear  him  puff  and  splutter  in  the  midst  of  his  ablutions, 
and  the  familiar  sound  caused  me  to  smile,  although  the 
situation  was  grave  enough. 

Suddenly,  Osaki  gave  utterance  to  a  sharp  "Ha!"  and 
drew  his  knife. 

"They  are  moving,"  he  said.  "Quick!  follow  me. 
We  must  skirt  around  and  attack  them  from  the  rear. 
A  complete  surprise  is  half  a  battle.  Come  on." 

With  the  military  axiom  upon  his  lips,  he  stealthily 
arose  to  his  feet  and  crept  along  with  his  body  almost 
bent  double.  I  followed  at  his  heels  in  the  same  position. 

We  speedily  gained  a  spot  where  the  bushes  and  trees 
were  more  dense.  They  afforded  a  secure  shelter,  and 
we  were  enabled  to  move  more  rapidly.  Presently  the 
young  officer  stopped  and  placed  his  finger  upon  his 
mouth  as  a  signal  of  caution. 

I  caught  sight  of  the  Chinese  soldiers  about  six  paces 
in  advance  of  us.  They  were  almost  within  reach  of  the 
stranger. 

"Get  ready,"  whispered  Osaki.  "When  I  give  the 
word,  yell  like  an  Indian,  and  rush  at  them." 

I  grasped  my  sword  in  my  right  hand,  and  bent  for 
ward  in  readiness.  My  companion  gave  the  signal,  and 
together  we  darted  upon  the  scouts  with  ear-piercing 
howls. 

The  results  proved  the  sagacity  of  the  young  officer's 
tactics.  Two  of  the  soldiers  were  so  astounded  and  terri- 


Jack  Bunce.  81 

fied  that  they  dropped  their  weapons  and  fled  up  to  their 
middle  in  the  river.  The  others  were  not  so  chicken- 
hearted,  however. 

They  faced  about,  and  met  our  onslaught  with  deter 
mined  opposition.  I  aimed  a  blow  at  the  nearest,  but  he 
parried  with  his  sword,  and  struck  back  so  quickly  that  I 
only  saved  myself  by  an  agile  leap  to  one  side. 

Just  then  the  stranger  clad  in  the  American  naval  uni 
form  took  part.  He  had  wheeled  around,  and,  for  the 
moment,  stood  gaping  at  us  with  an  open  mouth.  Sud 
denly  he  straightened  up.  Then,  with  a  shout  like  a  pent- 
up  steam-whistle,  he  started  toward  us. 

"Whoop !  Give  it  to  'em !  Wollup  the  yaller  niggers ! 
Don't  let  'em  escape,  strangers.  Hold  'em  till  I  git  there ! 
Wough !" 

A  moment  later  he  flung  himself  upon  the  Chinaman 
I  had  been  fighting,  and  in  much  less  time  than  it  takes 
to  describe  it,  he  had  snatched  the  fellow's  weapons  from 
his  grasp. 

The  soldier's  pigtail  fairly  stood  on  end  with  sudden 
fear.  Gurgling  a  prayer  to  Buddha,  he  turned,  and  with 
a  prodigious  leap  gained  the  water's  edge,  then  splash 
ing  into  the  river,  he  swam  off  to  join  the  former  pair, 
who  had  meanwhile  struck  out  for  the  opposite  shore. 

Thus  deserted  by  his  companions,  the  remaining  soldier 
incontinently  fled  up  the  bank  and  disappeared  from  sight 
in  the  bush.  The  stranger  stood  irresolute  for  a  brief 
space,  as  if  undecided  which  to  pursue,  then,  with  a  hoarse 
cry,  he  boldly  entered  the  water. 


82  Jack  Bunce. 

"What  in  the  deuce  does  he  mean  to  do?"  exclaimed 
Osaki,  in  surprise.  Then  he  added  in  a  louder  tone : 

"Hi,  there !    Come  back !    Don't  follow  them !" 

The  sailor  paid  no  heed,  but  swam  lustily  after  the 
trio  of  fleeing  Chinamen.  He  had  placed  the  captured 
sword  between  his  teeth,  and  it  was  plainly  evident  that 
he  meant  to  attack  them  in  the  water. 

The  young  Japanese  and  I  looked  at  each  other  in 
comical  amazement. 

What  to  do  we  did  not  know.  The  American,  or 
whatever  he  was,  undoubtedly  had  intended  to  either  re 
capture  or  slay  the  three  soldiers.  The  fact  that  he  was 
alone  and  unaided  did  not  seem  to  deter  him  one  whit, 
and  he  continued  the  pursuit  with  unabated  vigor. 

"Did  you  ever  see  anything  like  this  in  all  your  ex 
perience?"  I  asked,  with  a  gasp  of  laughter. 

"Never,"  replied  Osaki.  "He  must  be  a  regular  fire- 
eater.  But  how  on  earth  did  he  get  to  this  part  of  the 
world?  I  wouldn't  have  been  more  surprised  had  we 
met  the  Chinese  emperor  here." 

"What  shall  we  do?"  I  asked.  "We  must  not  let  him 
tackle  these  soldiers  alone.  They'll  kill  him." 

"We'll  have  to  follow.     Can  you  swim?" 

"Like  a  fish.     Come  on." 

We  both  entered  the  water  at  the  same  time,  and  were 
soon  swimming  after  the  American.  I  followed  his 
example  and  carried  my  sword  between  my  teeth.  It  was 
very  awkward,  but  I  yielded  to  necessity,  and  held  to  the 
weapon. 

As  it  happened,  we  were  not  destined  to  proceed  very 


Jack  Bunce.  83 

far.  When  about  fifteen  yards  from  shore,  we  heard  an 
exultant  yell.  Then  came  a  most  horrible  screech  of 
agony. 

Raising  ourselves  from  the  water,  we  glanced  ahead 
just  in  time  to  see  the  glint  of  the  sun's  rays  upon  a  shin 
ing  object.  It  vanished,  and  another  cry  of  mortal  pain 
came  to  our  ears. 

"Heavens !  what  has  happened  ?"  gasped  Osaki. 

Before  I  could  reply,  we  both  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
stranger.  No  further  comments  were  needed.  He  was 
alone ! 

With  one  accord  we  turned  and  made  our  way  back 
to  the  bank.  Crawling  from  the  water,  we  glanced  out 
over  the  river  and  saw  the  American  swimming  toward 
us  with  his  sword  still  grasped  between  his  teeth. 

Several  discolored  spots  dyeing  the  surface  of  the  water 
told  the  grewsome  tale.  He  had  succeeded  in  his  object, 
and  he  had  not  made  any  prisoners,  either. 

A  few  moments  later  the  hero  of  the  exploit  landed 
close  to  where  we  stood.  Giving  his  body  a  shake,  he  ad 
vanced  and,  clutching  the  sword  in  one  hand,  asked, 
seriously : 

"Where  did  t'other  fellow  go,  stranger?  Ye  didn't  let 
him  git  away,  did  ye?" 

"For  goodness'  sake,  haven't  you  done  enough?"  said 
my  companion,  holding  up  his  hands  in  amazement. 
"Who  in  the  deuce  are  you,  anyway  ?  An  American  ?" 

"That's  just  what  I  am  ;  an  American,  from  California," 
was  the  hearty  reply.  "I'm  a  man-o'-war's  man,  or  was 
gome  weeks  ago.  Who  be  you?" 


84  Jack  Bunce. 

While  he  was  speaking,  I  eyed  him  closely,  my  curiosity 
intensely  aroused  by  his  astounding  feats  in  the  river.  He 
seemed  to  be  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  was  splendidly 
built,  had  a  broad,  good-humored  face,  and  sported  two 
tufts  of  whiskers  in  front  of  his  ears.  Taking  it  all  in  all, 
he  was  a  peculiar  specimen  of  humanity,  and  the  last  per 
son  in  the  world  one  would  take  for  such  a  daring  fire- 
eater. 

"Who  be  you,  if  I  may  ask?"  repeated  the  sailor,  in 
quisitively. 

"I  am  an  American,  from  New  York,"  I  responded, 
"and  my  companion  is  a  young  Japanese  officer.  His 
name  is  Osaki.  Mine  is  Stanley  Bennett." 

"I  am  right  glad  to  meet  ye.  Shake,  pardners,"  said 
our  new  acquaintance,  extending  a  brawny  hand.  "Ye 
can  call  me  Jack  Bunce.  That  is  the  name  I  signed  to 
Uncle  Sam's  articles." 


CHAPTER    XI. 

IN    WHICH    OSAKI    MAKES    AN    ALARMING    DISCOVERY. 

"To  tell  the  truth,"  continued  Jack  Bunce,  "I've  had 
so  many  names  that  I  actually  disremember  the  one  my 
old  mother  christened  me  with.  Hum!  I'm  sorry  that 
other  pigtail  got  away.  Ye  don't  think  he's  hanging 
around  the  vicinity,  do  ye  ?" 

"Hardly,  Mr.  Bunce,"  I  laughed.  "If  he  is  still  trav 
eling  at  the  same  rate  as  when  he  disappeared,  he  must 
be  across  the  border  by  this  time." 

"I  am  real  sorry.  I  got  three  of  'em,  but  the  fourth 
one  gitting  away  kind  of  sp'iles  my  enjoyment,"  replied 
the  sailor,  shaking  his  head.  "But  I  say,  mates — I  guess 
I  can  call  ye  by  that  title,  being  as  we  are  strangers  in  a 
strange  land — it  seems  kind  of  funny  to  meet  an  Ameri 
can  man-o'-war's  man  in  these  parts,  now  don't  it?" 

"It  is  no  less  than  remarkable,"  spoke  up  Osaki,  curi 
ously.  "Would  you  mind  telling  us  how  you  happen 
to  be  in  this  part  of  Corea  so  far  from  your  vessel  ?" 

"You  speak  good  English  for  a  Jap,"  returned  Bunce, 
eying  the  speaker,  good-naturedly.  "Where  did  ye  learn 
it,  if  I  might  ask?" 

"At  the  Naval  Academy,  and  on  board  two  American 
cruisers  as  a  cadet  officer,"  quietly  replied  Osaki. 

The  sailor's  right  hand  went  up  to  his  forehead  with  a 
military  salute,  and  he  stood  at  attention. 


86  An  Alarming  Discovery. 

"Oh,  lordy !"  I  heard  him  mutter,  "I  am  in  for  it  now. 
He'll  arrest  me  as  a  deserter,  sure." 

I  laughed  outright. 

"Don't  be  alarmed,  Mr.  Bunce,"  I  said.  "This  gen 
tleman  is  not  now  an  officer  in  the  navy.  If  you  left  your 
ship  between  roll  calls,  you  need  not  fear  being  hauled 
up  for  it  here." 

"I'm  right  glad  to  hear  that,  sir,"  he  replied,  looking 
vastly  relieved.  "Ye  see,  it  was  this  way:  I  'listed  in 
the  service  in  Frisco,  thinking  as  how  there  might  be 
a  chance  to  see  a  little  scrappin'." 

"That  is  where  you  should  find  it,"  I  remarked. 

"But  I  didn't,"  retorted  Bunce,  emphatically.  "I  made 
a  mighty  big  mistake.  Fightin'  in  the  American  navy? 
Not  much,  friends.  There  ain't  been  any  since  the  war. 
Humph !  I  was  fooled  nicely.  Why,  I  might  as  well  j'ined 
a  gospel  ship." 

The  speaker  looked  so  genuinely  distressed  that  Osaki 
and  I  fairly  shouted  with  laughter.  We  had  certainly 
stumbled  upon  a  queer  character.  And  in  the  interior  of 
Corea,  of  all  places  under  the  sun ! 

"Well,  I  was  there,  and  I  had  to  stick,"  continued 
Bunce,  reminiscently.  "I  tried  to  skip,  but  it  was  no 
go.  By  and  by  we  sailed  for  Chemulpo,  down  on  the 
coast  here.  During  the  voyage  over  I  kept  my  hand 
in  scrappin'  about  decks,  but  it  was  a  poor  sort  of  sport. 
When  we  reached  this  side  I  heard  there  was  trouble 
between  the  pigtails  and  Japs.  That  just  suited  me.  I 
watched  my  chance,  and  scooted,  and  here  I  am.  Say, 


An  Alarming  Discovery.  87 

mates,  d'ye  think  there'll  be  any  fun  in  these  parts  be 
fore  long?" 

"If  you  mean  fighting,  yes,"  replied  the  young  officer, 
highly  amused.  "But  do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  left 
your  ship  and  came  all  the  way  up  here  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  a  battle  ?" 

"Seeing  a  battle!"  echoed  Bunce,  emphasizing  the 
first  word.  "Seeing  a  battle?  Humph!  not  much. 
What  would  I  want  to  look  at  one  for,  eh  ?  I  came  here 
to  take  a  hand.  I  am  spoiling  for  a  scrap,  that's  all 
about  it.  Which  way  is  that  town  they  call  Pink  Annie, 
or  something  like  that?" 

"Ping  An,  you  mean,  I  suppose,"  corrected  Osaki. 
"It's  about  ten  miles  down  the  river.  We  are  bound 
in  that  direction  ourselves.  But  what  bothers  me  is 
how  you  succeeded  in  traveling  almost  two  hundred 
miles  through  a  country  like  this  without  mishap." 

"The  same  way  as  you  did,  I  reckon,  afoot  and  after 
dark,"  replied  Bunce,  shrewdly.  "Now,  ye've  asked  me 
a  lot  of  questions,  suppose  I  do  the  same  by  you.  How 
is  it  I  find  a  young  American,  who,  by  his  clothes,  seems 
almost  a  dude,  and  a  Japanese  officer  away  from  his 
regiment,  here  on  the  bank  of  this  river  ?  I  ain't  curious 
by  nature,  but  the  whole  thing  seems  kind  of  queer." 

"No  doubt,"  I  replied,  heartily.  "You  shall  have  an 
explanation,  Mr.  Bunce.  I  am " 

"Hold  on  there !"  suddenly  interrupted  the  sailor. 
"You'll  oblige  me  if  you  will  call  me  plain,  everyday 
Jack.  Humph!  I  ain't  used  to  having  a  handle  put  to 
my  name." 


88  An  Alarming  Discovery. 

"All  right,  Jack,"  I  said,  smilingly.  "It'll  be  that 
hereafter." 

I  explained  my  presence  in  Corea  by  telling  the  old 
story  about  looking  for  sport,  adding  that  Osaki  was 
on  detached  service  as  a  spy.  Bunce  seemed  entirely 
satisfied  with  the  statement. 

"I  hope  ye  ain't  a-going  to  hang  around  here  long," 
he  said,  after  a  short  pause.  "It's  wasting  valuable 
time.  Why,  there  might  be  some  fightin'  going  on 
near  the  town  this  very  minute.  Suppose  we  make  a 
move?" 

I  exchanged  glances  with  Osaki.  From  this  speech 
it  was  evident  Mr.  Jack  Bunce  had  concluded  to  join  us. 
His  self-invitation  was  hardly  displeasing  to  me.  He 
seemed  an  honest,  sturdy  fellow,  and  would  possibly 
make  a  valuable  ally. 

I  saw  from  the  young  officer's  face  that  he  shared  my 
opinion,  so  I  resolved  to  ask  the  American  to  become 
one  of  our  little  party.  This  I  did,  in  a  few  brief  words, 
adding : 

"Both  you  and  I  are  here  for  the  fun  of  the  thing,  and 
it  matters  little  where  we  go  or  what  we  do,  so  we  see 
the  fighting.  Osaki  is  on  a  roving  commission.  His 
main  duty  is  to  pick  up  information  of  the  enemy's 
movements.  You  say  you  are  in  favor  of  the  Japanese, 
why  not  lend  him  a  hand,  and  thereby  help  his  coun 
try?" 

"Certainly  I  will,"  heartily  replied  Jack,  extending  his 
hand.  "There  ain't  nothing  I'd  like  better.  The  only 
stipulation  I  will  make  is  that  you  gentlemen  lead  me 


An  Alarming  Discovery.  89 

where  I'll  find  plenty  of  scrappin'.  If  ye  don't,  we'll 
part  purty  quick." 

"You  need  not  be  alarmed,"  interposed  the  young 
Japanese,  dryly.  "I'll  guarantee  you  will  have  plenty 
during  the  next  week,  anyway." 

"Now,  that  is  settled,  and  our  forces  augmented  by 
such  a  powerful  volunteer,  we  must  arrange  a  plan  of 
action,"  I  said,  "We  don't  want  to  remain  idle  longer 
than  is  necessary.  What  do  you  know  about  the  situa 
tion,  Osaki?" 

"Very  little,"  replied  the  youth.  "I  know  that  Ping 
An  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  and  that  our 
troops  are  marching  toward  it  from  Asan  and  Gensan, 
but  that  is  all.  I  think  I  had  better  make  a  hurried  trip 
toward  the  city  and  see  how  the  land  lies." 

"And  we  remain  here  ?"  I  asked. 

"You  can  come  part  of  the  way.  Then  while  I  am 
gone  you  can  forage  for  food  among  the  farms." 

"That  suits  me  to  a  tee,"  spoke  up  our  new  acquaint 
ance,  emphatically.  "I  am  hungry  enough  to  eat  a  dead 
Chinaman.  Haven't  touched  a  mouthful  of  anything 
since  yesterday  noon." 

"Did  you  dine  table  d'hote  or  a  la  carte f"  asked  Osaki, 
with  a  sly  wink  in  my  direction. 

Jack  stared  at  his  questioner  as  if  not  understanding 
the  words. 

"Are  them  words  Japanese?"  he  asked,  slowly.  "If 
ye  mean  what  did  I  eat,  it  was  a  pot  o'  rice  I  took  from 
a  Corean  chap  back  on  the  road  a  bit.  He  was  very 


90  An  Alarming  Discovery. 

polite  about  it.  Told  me  I  could  have  the  grub — after 
I  give  him  a  good  licking." 

It  was  finally  decided  that  we  should  start  at  once  in 
the  direction  of  Ping  An,  following  the  bank  of  the  river 
as  far  as  possible.  This  we  did  for  three  or  four  miles ; 
then,  as  the  stream  made  a  sharp  turn  to  the  right,  we  left 
it  and  struck  across  country. 

Finally  reaching  a  wooded  hill,  which  seemed  to  afford 
a  good  rendezvous,  Osaki  left  us  with  the  understanding 
that  he  would  find  us  there  on  his  return.  Before  he  de 
parted  I  stipulated  that  we  would  wait  until  the  follow 
ing  morning  only,  and  if  he  did  not  make  his  appearance 
by  that  time,  we  would  set  out  in  search  of  him. 

After  a  while,  Jack  and  I  hunted  up  a  native's  farm 
house  in  an  adjoining  valley,  and  secured,  by  threats  and 
purchase,  enough  food,  such  as  it  was,  for  a  couple  of 
meals. 

Toward  dark,  just  as  we  were  building  a  fire  for  the 
purpose  of  warming  our  provisions,  I  caught  sight  of  the 
young  Japanese  officer  at  the  lower  end  of  the  little  clear 
ing. 

He  was  running,  and  seemed  greatly  excited.  Bunce 
and  I  snatched  up  our  swords  and  advanced  to  meet  him. 
When  within  speaking  distance,  Osaki  shouted,  at  the  top 
of  his  voice: 

"Hide  your  provisions  and  come  with  me.  We  have 
work  to  do.  A  lot  of  Chinese  scouts  have  captured  a  fel 
low  back  there,  and  are  taking  him  to  Ping  An.  Quick ! 
don't  lose  a  moment.  It  is  that  English  correspondent, 
Arthur  Montague  Forbes!" 


CHAPTER    XII. 

IN    WHICH    WE    PREPARE    FOR    THE    RESCUE. 

I  stared  at  the  Japanese  youth  in  amazement.  The 
young  Englishman  in  this  part  of  Corea,  and  captured 
by  a  band  of  Chinese  scouts?  It  was  simply  incredible. 

"What?"  I  exclaimed,  blankly.     "You  don't  mean " 

"Yes,  the  same  fellow  who  was  confined  with  you  in 
that  room,"  interrupted  Osaki,  impatiently.  "Come  on, 
or  we'll  be  too  late.  I'll  explain  as  we  go  along." 

A  hoarse  cry  of  joy  attracted  our  attention  to  Jack 
Bunce.  He  was  leaping  up  and  down,  cutting  off  imag 
inary  heads  with  his  sword,  and  seemed  simply  beside 
himself  with  ecstasy. 

"Whoop !  a  fight,  did  ye  say  ?"  he  yelled.  "Where,  oh, 
where  ?  Lead  me  to  the  place  if  ye  love  me.  How  many 
was  there?  Ten,  or  a  dozen,  or  fifty?  The  more  the 
merrier,  say  I.  Come  a-running,  mates." 

It  only  took  a  moment  to  hide  our  few  articles  of  food 
in  a  neighboring  bush.  Then  together  we  hurried  off  in  a 
direction  indicated  by  the  young  officer.  While  descend 
ing  the  hill  I  asked  for  the  promised  explanation. 

"I  have  been  clear  to  our  camp,"  replied  Osaki,  "but  of 
that  more  anon.  While  on  my  way  back,  I  happened  to 
catch  sight  of  a  small  party  of  the  enemy  moving  toward 
Ping  An  at  a  rapid  rat®-.  Their  haste  excited  my  suspi- 


92  For  the   Rescue. 

cion,  and  I  followed  them  long  enough  to  discover  that 
they  had  a  prisoner  with  them.  You  can  imagine  my  as 
tonishment  when  I  recognized  the  English  correspondent. 
I  have  no  love  for  him,  but  I  would  not  see  the  fellow 
barbarously  executed  by  the  Chinese." 

"No,  certainly  not,"  I  exclaimed,  warmly.  "We  must 
rescue  him  if  we  possibly  can.  Which  way  are  they 
traveling  ?" 

"They  will  pass  a  little  valley  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  here  in  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,"  replied  Osaki. 
"I  think  we  can  ambuscade  them  there.  Jove !  I  would 
give  anything  for  a  couple  of  good  magazine  rifles." 

"I  can't  promise  ye  that,"  spoke  up  Jack,  grimly,  "but 
if  them  yellow  heathens  have  any  other  weapons,  I'll  give 
ye  the  pick  of  the  lot  before  we're  through  with  them." 

"Perhaps  they'll  add  that  sword  of  yours  to  their  col 
lection  instead,"  replied  I,  laughingly. 

"No  fear,"  retorted  the  sailor,  sturdily.  "My  time 
ain't  coming  yet  a  while.  A  mate  o'  mine  aboard  the 
ship  told  my  fortune  before  I  skinned  out,  and  he  said 
that  I'd  get  away  with  a  hundred  and  three  Chinamen 
before  I  turned  up  my  toes.  I'm  keepin'  track  of  'em,  and 
I've  only  got  these ;  see  ?" 

While  speaking  he  had  thrust  one  hand  into  his  jacket, 
producing  a  roll  of  long,  black,  rope-like  objects.  These 
he  untwisted,  revealing  to  our  astonished  gaze  three  Chi 
nese  queues. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  you  scalped  those  scouts  in 
the  river?"  I  inquired,  horrified. 

"N-no,  not  exactly ;  but  I  cut  off  their  hair  close  to  the 


For  the   Rescue.  93 

skin,"  Bunce  replied,  reluctantly.  "I  didn't  have  time 
to  take  any  more,  d'ye  see.  I  want  'em  as  mementoes." 

"Well,  as  long  as  you  travel  with  us,  just  refrain  from 
that  kind  of  business,"  said  Osaki,  severely.  I  saw  his 
eyes  twinkling  with  suppressed  merriment  though,  and, 
in  fact,  I  had  hard  work  to  keep  from  laughing  myself. 

Jack  half  stopped,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  arguing  the 
question,  but  he  thought  better  of  it,  and  ran  along  at 
our  side.  We  presently  reached  the  base  of  a  tall,  spur- 
like  elevation,  which  evidently  overlooked  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  surrounding  country. 

"I  think  I  will  climb  up  there  and  see  if  those  Chinamen 
are  in  sight,"  said  the  young  officer,  indicating  the  hill 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "They  were  moving  in  this 
direction,  but  they  may  have  changed  their  course.  Just 
wait  a  moment." 

"I'll  go  with  you  for  a  little  exercise,"  I  remarked. 

"So'll  I,"  added  Jack. 

After  a  great  deal  of  hard  climbing  we  managed  to 
gain  the  summit.  The  results  rewarded  us  for  our  efforts. 
Within  plain  view,  not  a  mile  away,  and  just  in  the  act 
of  crossing  a  small  field,  was  the  band  of  scouts.  They 
were  moving  rapidly,  and  in  such  a  direction  that  they 
would  pass  the  very  hill  upon  which  we  were  concealed. 

I  contrived  to  count  at  least  ten  soldiers,  but  they  were 
so  close  together  that  I  could  not  see  the  prisoner.  He 
was  evidently  there,  however.  My  blood  boiled  at  the 
very  thought  of  his  threatened  fate,  and  I  resolved  to  fight 
to  the  last  gasp  rather  than  see  him  remain  in  their  hands. 

It  promised  to  be  no  easy  task.     There  were  three  of 


94  For  the  Rescue. 

us  to  almost  a  dozen  of  the  enemy.  We  could  muster 
only  two  swords  and  a  knife,  while  they  were  possibly 
armed  with  spears  and  pistols. 

On  the  other  side,  both  Jack  Bunce  and  Osaki  could 
fight  like  veritable  tigers,  and  were  worth  three  or  four 
times  their  number  of  Chinamen,  and  even  I  could  do  my 
share,  when  battling  for  a  just  cause.  The  impending 
affray  would  certainly  be  interesting,  anyway,  from  Jack's 
point  of  view. 

After  a  short  deliberation,  we  concluded  to  wait  where 
we  were  until  the  band  neared  us,  then  to  descend  and 
form  an  ambuscade  behind  a  clump  of  bushes  near  the 
base  of  the  hill. 

Seizing  the  opportunity,  I  asked  Osaki  to  explain  the 
details  of  his  visit  to  the  camp  of  the  Japanese  forces. 
At  the  same  moment  I  signaled  him  not  to  reveal  my 
identity  as  a  correspondent.  I  had  not  made  up  my  mind 
whether  it  would  be  advisable  to  confide  in  our  new  ac 
quaintance.  Time  enough  for  that  when  we  knew  him 
better. 

"After  I  left  you  I  struck  across  country  to  where  I 
thought  I  would  find  our  camp,"  began  the  young  officer. 
"I  ran  upon  an  outpost  about  six  mlies  from  here,  but, 
fortunately,  the  captain  in  command  was  an  old  friend 
of  mine.  He  recognized  me  at  once,  but  I  knew  I  was 
safe  in  his  hands." 

"That  was  certainly  very  lucky,"  I  remarked.  "Jove! 
you  had  a  narrow  escape.  You  would " 

"Were  them  people  Japs?"  suddenly  interrupted  Jack 
Bunce,  eying  us  narrowly. 


For  the  Rescue.  95 

I  exchanged  glances  with  Osaki.  We  had  totally  for 
gotten  the  fact  that  the  sailor  was  in  complete  ignorance 
of  the  true  state  of  affairs.  Quickly  seeing  that  it  would 
be  useless  to  continue  the  deception,  the  young  officer 
explained. 

"Didn't  want  to  trust  me  at  first,  eh?"  commented  the 
sailor,  reproachfully.  "I  don't  like  that,  to  tell  ye  the 
truth.  It  kinder  hurts  me  to  think  that  gentlemen  like 
you  should  harbor  suspicions  about  Jack  Bunce.  I 
guess  I'd  better  leave  and  shift  fur  myself." 

He  arose  to  his  feet,  and  was  on  the  point  of  moving 
away  when  Osaki  and  I  checked  him. 

"Come  back  here  at  once!"  I  exclaimed,  with  mock 
sternness.  "You  should  be  ashamed  of  yourself,  Jack. 
It  was  perfectly  natural  for  us  to  conceal  such  a  se 
rious  matter  until  we  became  better  acquainted  with  you. 
Osaki's  recapture  would  mean  trial  by  court-martial,  and 
probably  death." 

"That  is  so,"  coincided  the  young  officer.  "It  is  all 
right  now.  I  feel  perfectly  safe  in  your  hands,  Bunce. 
Say  no  more  about  it." 

"Right  ye  are,  sir,"  replied  the  ex-man-o'-war's  man. 
"Go  ahead  with  your  yarn.  I'll  stand  here  and  keep  my 
peepers  on  the  road  so  we  won't  let  'em  pass  unbeknown 
to  us." 

"Well,  I  learned  from  my  friend,  the  captain  of  the 
outpost,  several  very  important  bits  of  intelligence,"  con 
tinued  Osaki,  mainly  addressing  his  words  to  me.  "He 
says  orders  have  arrived  from  the  commanding  general 


96  For  the   Rescue. 

to  be  ready  for  the  attack  on  Ping  An  at  three  this 
afternoon." 

"Great  Scott!  is  that  so?"  I  cried.  "Then  we  are 
just  in  time.  By  the  way,  do  you  know  anything  about 
the  number  of  troops  to  be  engaged?" 

"We  will  have  about  thirty  thousand  all  told.  Twenty 
thousand  from  Asan,  and  the  balance  from  Gensan.  The 
latter  have  marched  across  the  mountains,  and  their  ar 
rival  has  been  expected  for  over  a  week.  They  reached 
the  camp  yesterday.  This  is  going  to  be  a  glorious  fight, 
I  can  tell " 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  cry  of  excitement  from  Jack 
Bunce.  Turning  quickly,  we  saw  that  the  sailor  had 
sprung  to  the  edge  of  the  summit,  where  he  stood,  eagerly 
staring  at  some  object  below.  Before  we  could  ask  for  an 
explanation,  he  began  to  descend,  at  the  same  time  shout 
ing,  hoarsely: 

"Come  on,  mates!  Get  a  move  on  ye,  or  we'll  be  too 
late.  Them  yellow  fiends  have  stopped,  and  they're  git- 
ting  ready  to  crucify  their  prisoner  on  the  spot." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

IN     WHICH    WE    RESCUE    FORBES. 

Jack  Bunce's  words  startled  Osaki  and  me  into  in 
stant  activity.  The  sailor  had  disappeared  down  the 
side  of  the  steep  hill  before  he  had  finished  his  cry  of 
warning,  but  we  were  soon  at  his  heels.  By  the  time 
the  base  was  gained  we  were  together. 

I  caught  a  brief  glimpse  of  the  band  of  Chinese  scouts 
while  leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  and  saw  that  they  had 
halted  and  were  fashioning  a  rude  cross  from  a  couple 
of  tree  branches. 

Standing  a  little  apart  from  them  was  a  solitary  figure 
clad  in  European  costume.  It  did  not  need  a  prolonged 
scrutiny  to  tell  me  that  it  indeed  was  my  rival  corre 
spondent,  Alfred  Montague  Forbes. 

His  peril  was  immediate  and  deadly,  and  all  thoughts 
of  professional  enmity  instantly  left  me.  It  was  now  a 
case  of  the  man,  not  his  position — a  case  of  humanity, 
and  not  the  petty  jealousies  of  the  trade. 

After  reaching  the  bottom  we  halted  for  a  brief  coun 
cil  of  war.  Jack  Bunce  was  for  charging  upon  them 
without  more  ado,  but  that  was  not  to  be  thought  of 
under  the  circumstances. 

"There  are  too  many  of  them,"  expostulated  the 
young  officer.  "The  odds  are  too  great  for  that.  We 


98  We  Rescue  Forbes. 

must  adopt  the  same  tactics  as  we  did  at  that  little  fra 
cas  on  the  bank  of  the  river." 

"Charge  with  whoops  and  yells,  you  mean?"  I  asked. 

"Yes,  that  is  the  idea." 

"I  think  I  can  suggest  a  slight  improvement,"  I  added. 
"How  would  it  do  to  separate  and  swoop  down  on  them 
from  three  sides  and  make  the  beggars  think  they  are 
being  attacked  by  a  large  force." 

"Splendid!  Just  the  thing!"  exclaimed  Jack  and 
Osaki  in  a  breath. 

"By  Jove  !  you  should  be  a  military  officer,"  continued 
the  latter,  "instead  of  a — er — youthful  sport.  We'll  try 
your  plan  at  once." 

"I  will  also  make  it  my  duty  to  free  Forbes  as  soon 
as  possible,"  I  said.  "He  can  turn  to  and  help  us,  and 
four  fighters  are  better  than  three,  you  know.  Come 
on." 

Keeping  a  wary  eye  out  for  pickets,  we  hastened 
toward  the  little  clearing  in  which  the  scouts  had  halted. 
When  within  several  hundred  yards  we  separated,  and 
proceeded,  each  in  a  different  direction. 

No  signal  had  been  arranged,  simply  ample  time 
being  given  for  each  to  reach  his  post.  Jack  branched 
off  to  the  right  and  Osaki  took  the  left,  leaving  me  to 
walk  straight  ahead  . 

On  finding  myself  alone,  I  slackened  my  pace,  and 
dodged  from  tree  to  tree,  trying  to  keep  in  concealment 
as  much  as  possible.  After  a  while  I  saw  that  I  had 
gained  a  spot  near  enough  for  the  purpose. 

A  confused  murmur  of  voices  came  to  my  ears,  and 


We   Rescue  Forbes.  99 

occasionally  one  of  the  soldiers  would  break  forth  into 
a  sing-song  chant,  horribly  unmusical.  Creeping  closer, 
I  caught  sight  of  the  band  through  the  interlacing 
branches  of  a  stunted  alder. 

One  glance  showed  me  that  we  had  not  arrived  a 
.moment  too  soon.  Lying  upon  the  ground  was  the 
finished  cross,  and,  as  I  watched,  four  of  the  scouts 
moved  toward  the  prisoner,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of 
seizing  him. 

Forbes  was  deadly  pale,  but  he  eyed  his  captors  with 
a  fearless  gaze.  I  saw  him  brace  himself  as  if  for  the 
purpose  of  offering  a  final  resistance,  then,  just  as  the 
first  Chinaman  grasped  him,  I  noticed  Jack  Bunce's 
head  appear  above  a  fallen  tree  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  little  glade. 

I  could  wait  no  longer.  Clutching  my  sword  in  my 
right  hand,  I  darted  forward  with  a  shrill  cry.  An  an 
swering  shout  came  from  the  sailor,  then  at  almost  the 
same  moment  I  heard  Osaki's  voice. 

From  three  sides  we  rushed  upon  the  scouts,  and  be 
fore  they  could  recover  from  their  surprise  or  secure 
their  weapons,  we  were  in  .their  midst  hacking  and 
thrusting  with  all  our  skill.  Neither  did  either  of  us 
forget  our  agreement  as  to  noise,  and  the  little  clearing 
fairly  rang  with  our  cries. 

It  was  but  a  brief  second  before  the  soldiers  were  in 
full  retreat,  and  that  without  striking  a  blow  in  defense. 
I  managed  to  give  a  burly  fellow  a  sharp  cut  across  the 
chest,  but  he  outran  me,  so  I  returned  and  released  the 
young  Englishman. 


ioo  We   Rescue   Forbes. 

He  never  opened  his  lips  until  the  ropes  dropped  from 
his  arms,  then,  without  a  trace  of  his  former  affectation, 
he  grasped  my  hand,  and  exclaimed,  brokenly : 

"God  bless  you,  Bennett !  you  have  saved  my  life. 
This  is  the  second  time  you  have  performed  a  like 
service  for  me.  I — I — can  never  repay  you  enough." 

"Don't  mention  it,  old  fellow,"  I  replied,  heartily. 
"You  would  have  done  as  much  if  our  positions  had 
been  reversed.  Come,  arm  yourself,  and  let's  follow  my 
mates.  They  may  run  into  danger  and  need  our  assist 
ance." 

Forbes  willingly  obeyed.  Selecting  a  spear  from  the 
pile  left  by  the  fleeing  soldiers,  he  followed  me  from  the 
glade.  Both  Osaki  and  Jack  had  instantly  pursued  the 
scouts,  leaving  the  task  of  releasing  the  prisoner  to  me. 

As  we  started  in  quest  of  them  I  heard  a  shrill  shriek 
from  beyond  a  clump  of  trees.  It  was  followed  almost 
immediately  by  the  sounds  of  a  lively  struggle. 

Increasing  our  speed  we  reached  the  spot  just  in  time 
to  see  Osaki  defending  himself  against  three  of  the  fugi 
tive  soldiers.  Another  was  writhing  upon  the  ground, 
evidently  sent  there  by  the  doughty  young  Japanese. 

At  our  appearance  the  latter  gave  a  cheer,  and  re 
newed  his  efforts  to  such  good  effect  that  his  antagon 
ists  broke  and  fled  before  we  could  use  our  weapons. 
The  injured  man  regained  his  feet  with  surprising 
agility,  and  also  beat  a  retreat. 

"Where  is  Jack?"  I  asked.     "Have  you  seen  him?" 

"He  disappeared  over  there  in  chase  of  about  six 
Chinamen,"  replied  Osaki,  wiping  his  sword.  "He'll 


We   Rescue   Forbes.  101 

return  before  long  with  an  addition  to  his  collection  of 
pigtails  I  suppose.  Well,  how  are  you?" 

The  latter  question  was  addressed  to  Forbes. 

"I  am  as  well  as  the  circumstances  will  permit," 
drawled  the  young  Englishman,  with  a  smile.  "Thanks 
to  you  and  your  companions,  I  am  considerably  better 
in  health  than  I  would  have  been  had  you  not  made 
your  appearance.  Ah !  by  the  way,  aren't  you  the  per 
son  whom  I  met  back  in  that  village  ?" 

"The  identical  person,"  replied  my  friend,  coolly.     "I 

believe  I  had  the  honor  of  seeing  you  then.  In  fact, 
j » 

"Gave  me  a  deucedly  unfriendly  shove,"  interrupted 
Forbes.  "Yes,  I  remember  it.  Well,  that's  forgotten 
now.  I  am — aw — extremely  obliged  to  you  for  your 
assistance  this  afternoon,  and  I  hope  I  will  be  able  to 
prove  my  gratitude  some  day." 

The  words  were  very  friendly,  but  something  in  the 
tone  grated  on  me.  The  young  officer  also  noticed  it, 
as  he  merely  replied  by  a  cold  bow.  Fortunately,  at 
that  moment  Jack  Bunce  came  sauntering  toward  us, 
thereby  creating  a  welcome  diversion. 

The  sailor  carried  several  pikes  over  his  shoulder, 
and  I  could  see  that  he  was  in  great  good  humor. 
Throwing  the  weapons  to  the  ground,  he  said  to  Osaki : 

"There  ye  are.  Didn't  I  tell  ye  that  I'd  give  ye  the 
pick  of  them  yellow  heathen's  arms.  Help  yourself." 

"Thanks.  How  many  did  you  get  away  with?"  re 
plied  the  young  officer,  smilingly. 

Jack  coolly  produced  his  roll  of  mementoes,  as  he 


IO2  We   Rescue  Forbes. 

called  it,  and  showed  us  that  he  had  added  two  to  the 
collection  of  queues. 

"I  couldn't  git  any  more,"  he  said,  apologetically. 
"The  beggars  scooted  so  fast  that  I  couldn't  catch  'em. 
Hello,  stranger!  See  ye  are  free.  Mighty  narrow  es 
cape  for  you,  wasn't  it  ?" 

Forbes  stared  at  the  speaker  in  astonishment. 

"By  Jove !  if  it  isn't  a  marine,"  he  drawled,  then  turn 
ing  to  me,  he  added,  facetiously : 

"Been  recruiting  your  forces  from  your  Uncle  Sam's 
navy,  Bennett,  or  where  did  you  pick  up  this  peculiar 
specimen  of  the  genus  blue  jacket?" 

"I  beg  your — aw — lordship's  pardon,  don't  ye  know," 
suddenly  drawled  Jack  Bunce  in  reply,  "but  ye  are  mak 
ing  a  mighty  bad  mistake  criticising  those  who've  just 
rescued  ye  from  death.  In  the  first  place,  I  ain't  no 
marine,  and  I  don't  like  to  be  called  one,  don't  ye  know? 
I  am  a  sailor,  and  don't  ye  forget  it." 

The  young  Englishman  flushed,  and  was  on  the  point 
of  retorting  when  I  interposed.  I  felt  indignant  at  his 
treatment  of  my  friends,  and  I  resolved  to  have  an 
understanding  with  him  at  once. 

"Forbes,  this  conduct  is  entirely  uncalled  for  from 
you,  and  if  I  may  say  it,  it  is  deuced  bad  taste,"  I  said, 
warmly.  "You  ought  to  show  a  little  gratitude  instead 
of  insulting  your  rescuers.  I  think  the  best  plan  is  for 
you  to  go  your  way,  and  we'll  go  ours.  Come  on,  fel 
lows." 

Neither  Jack  nor  Osaki  needed  a  second  bidding.  As 
I  walked  away  they  followed,  without  a  word  to  the 


We   Rescue   Forbes.  103 

English  youth.  The  latter  seemed  thunderstruck  at 
my  actions,  and  hastily  called  out: 

"I  say  there,  Bennett,  what  in  the  deuce  is  the  matter? 
What  do  you  want  to  fly  off  like  this  for?  What  have 
I  done  that  you  should  leave  me  alone  in  this  con 
founded  place?" 

"You  managed  to  come  here  alone,"  I  replied,  coldly, 
"and  I  suppose  you  can  take  care  of  yourself  right 
enough." 

"Now,  friends,  don't  be  angry  with  me,"  exclaimed 
Forbes,  walking  up  to  us  and  holding  out  his  hand  in  a 
frank  manner.  "I  meant  no  harm.  If  I  have  said  any 
thing  out  of  the  way,  forgive  me,  will  you  ?" 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN     WHICH     WE    SIGHT    PING    AN. 

He  spoke  so  winningly  that  Osaki  and  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  but  Jack  held  aloof.  I  signed  to  him  to  make 
friends,  and  he  finally  obeyed,  but  in  a  very  reluctant 
manner. 

"Now,  as  all  differences  are  settled,  we  don't  want  to 
waste  any  more  time,"  I  spoke  up,  cheerfully.  "There 
is  a  big  battle  on  for  this  afternoon,  and  \ve  must  not 
miss  it.  We  have  a  walk  of  at  least  six  or  seven  miles 
before  us,  so  we  had  better  start  at  once." 

"What  about  the  grub?"  suddenly  asked  Jack. 
"Can't  we  stop  at  that  bush  and  take  a  bite  on  the  way?" 

In  the  excitement  of  the  past  few  hours  all  thoughts 
of  hunger  had  been  forgotten.  The  sailor's  question  re 
called  the  fact  to  us,  and  by  unanimous  consent  we 
hastened  to  where  the  scanty  supply  of  provisions  had 
been  left. 

A  half  hour  later  we  were  again  on  our  way  toward 
the  camp  of  the  Japanese  forces.  While  walking  along, 
I  managed  to  drop  behind  with  Osaki.  I  wanted  to  ask 
him  several  questions  about  the  impending  fight,  also 
his  opinion  as  to  our  new  companions. 

I  hadn't  the  slightest  doubt  about  Jack  Bunce.  I  had 
put  him  down  as  a  light-hearted,  happy-go-lucky  Califor- 


We  Sight  Ping  An.  105 

nian,  whose  only  desire  was  to  find  himself  mixed  up  in 
a  scrimmage,  but,  as  to  Forbes — that  was  a  different 
matter. 

I  did  not  like  the  youth,  although  I  confess  that  he  had 
appeared  very  pleasant  to  me  during-  our  earlier  ac 
quaintance.  Then  the  fact  that  he  was  a  rival  corre 
spondent  had  its  effect.  That  feeling  had  vanished  when 
I  knew  that  he  was  in  peril  of  his  life,  but  now  it  re 
turned  four-fold. 

I  had  no  desire  to  keep  him  from  sending  dispatches  to 
his  people  in  London,  but  at  the  same  time  I  did  not 
wish  him  to  interfere  with  mine.  I  felt  that  I  held  the 
whip  hand,  knowing  that  he  was  a  correspondent,  while 
he  was  evidently  entirely  ignorant  of  my  true  position. 

Then  I  had  the  friendship  of  the  young  Japanese 
officer,  which  meant  a  great  deal  under  the  circumstances. 
Taking  it  all  in  all,  I  could  afford  to  be  magnanimous. 
Nevertheless,  I  resolved  to  part  company  with  Forbes  as 
soon  as  possible. 

This  I  communicated  to  Osaki,  and  it  met  with  his 
unqualified  approval.  He  even  went  further,  and  said 
that  it  would  be  best  to  leave  him  before  reaching  the 
camp,  but  I  hesitated. 

"No,  let  him  accompany  us  that  far,"  I  said.  "During 
the  excitement  of  the  battle  we  can  easily  lose  him.  Now, 
what  plans  have  you  formed  in  regard  to  this  fight, 
Osaki?  Do  you  intend  to  take  part  in  it?" 

"Most  assuredly,"  replied  the  young  officer,  heartily. 
"I  have  arranged  matters  with  my  friend,  the  captain  of 
the  outpost,  to  join  his  company  during  the  engagement. 


io6  We  Sight  Ping  An. 

I  spoke  about  you,  and  he  advised  me  to  tell  you  to  keep 
out  of  sight,  as  special  orders  have  been  sent  to  every 
commander  to  arrest  you  and  the  English  correspondent." 

"Confound  it!  that's  pretty  hard,"  I  groaned.  "I  must 
see  the  battle,  but  I  do  not  care  to  be  placed  under  arrest 
at  this  critical  part  of  the  war.  Couldn't  I  disguise  my 
self  in  some  way  ?  I  wouldn't  be  noticed  during  the  ex 
citement." 

Osaki  laughed,  good-naturedly. 

"That  is  out  of  the  question,"  he  replied.  "You  will 
have  to  remain  in  concealment,  and  trust  to  me  for  the 
necessary  information.  I'll  collect  all  the  facts  possible, 
and  you  can  make  up  your  dispatches  after  the  engage 
ment." 

"I  am  heartily  obliged  to  you,  old  fellow,"  I  said,  grate 
fully.  "But  you  know  it  won't  be  like  reporting  from  the 
field.  However,  I  suppose  it  is  the  only  course.  Can  you 
give  me  a  few  preliminary  points  ?  How  is  Ping  An  situ 
ated?" 

As  Jack  and  Forbes  were  some  distance  ahead,  I  took 
out  my  notebook  and  prepared  to  jot  down  Osaki's  reply. 
As  I  ran  over  the  leaves  I  saw  with  a  sigh  that  they  were 
still  blank.  I  had  been  at  the  seat  of  war  for  nearly  eight 
days,  and  had  not  succeeded  in  sending  one  message  to  the 
syndicate. 

"The  city  known  to  you  as  Ping  An,  or  Ping  Yang, 
is  a  fortified  place  of  about  thirty  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  is  located  close  to  the  northern  bank  of  the  Tatong 
River,"  began  the  young  officer.  "After  we  drove  the 
enemy  from  the  lower  part  of  Corea  they  retreated  to 


We  Sight  Ping  An.  107 

Ping  An,  and  have  been  making  every  preparation  to  de 
fend  it." 

"A  sort  of  final  stand  in  this  country,"  I  remarked, 
sharpening  my  pencil. 

"Exactly.  They  know  what  it  means  if  we  capture  the 
northern  cities,  and  those  on  the  frontier.  It  will  open  a 
road  to  Moukden,  in  Manchuria,  and  then  with  that  place 
in  our  hands,  we  can  swoop  down  upon  the  very  heart 
of  the  empire — Pekin." 

In  his  enthusiasm  Osaki  had  raised  his  voice.  The 
words  must  have  reached  Forbes'  ears,  as  he  turned  and 
glanced  back  at  us  inquiringly.  I  hastily  replaced  my 
notebook,  but  not  before  he  had  observed  it. 

"Taking  points  for  your  swell  friends  in  New  York, 
Bennett  ?"  he  called  out. 

There  was  a  tinge  of  suspicion  in  his  tones,  and  I  bit 
my  lips  in  vexation.  How  to  explain  it  without  lying  out 
right  I  knew  not,  and  that  I  did  not  wish  to  do.  Fortu 
nately,  Jack  came  to  my  assistance  by  saying,  with  a 
boisterous  laugh : 

"Ho,  ho !  Speaking  about  swell  friends,  I  have  an  ac 
quaintance  in  Frisco  what  keeps  a  grog  shop  on  Water 
street.  He's  a  dandy,  and  wears  a  plug  hat  every  day. 
He  made  a  cruise  in  these  parts  on  a  man-o'-war  once, 
an'  he's  interested  in  the  Japs  and  pig-tails.  He  asked  me 
to  write  him  about  the  scraps,  but  I  ain't  no  hand  at  sling 
ing  a  pen.  Guess  I'll  have  to  get  one  of  you  gents  to  do 
it  for  me." 

"I'll  write  it  if  you  post  it,  Jack,"  I  said,  with  a  laugh, 
trying  to  divert  Forbes'  attention  from  his  discovery. 


io8  We  Sight  Ping  An. 

The  sailor  scratched  his  head  and  glanced  around  at  the 
trees. 

"That'll  be  a  purty  hard  job,  I'm  thinking,"  he  replied. 
"There  don't  seem  to  be  many  letter  boxes  around  here. 
Well,  you  write  it,  anyway,  and,  by  gum!  I'll  mail  it  if 
I  have  to  trot  back  to  Chamulpo." 

On  hearing  his  words  a  sudden  thought  struck  me. 
My  greatest  trouble  was  the  fact  that  I  had  no  means  to 
send  my  dispatches  to  the  cable  offices  in  either  Japan  or 
China.  I  was  acquiring  a  vast  quantity  of  valuable  in 
formation,  but  it  would  prove  utterly  useless  if  I  could 
not  communicate  with  the  Press  Association  in  New  York. 

If  I  left  the  field  for  the  purpose  of  chartering  a  coaster 
at  one  of  the  adjacent  ports,  something  of  vital  importance 
might  occur  during  my  absence.  Jack's  speech  attracted 
my  attention  to  him.  He  seemed  to  be  honest,  and  was 
apparently  grateful  to  us  for  the  little  affair  with  the 
Chinese  scouts  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

Why  not  engage  him  as  a  courier  or  messenger?  He 
had  shown  his  ability  in  traveling  from  Chemulpo.  It 
was  well  worth  considering.  During  the  next  few  hours 
but  little  conversation  was  carried  on.  We  walked  rap 
idly,  and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  Osaki  said  we  were 
almost  within  sight  of  the  Japanese  camp. 

A  half  hour  later  the  young  officer  led  us  up  the  side  of 
a  small  range  of  hills.  Just  before  reaching  the  top,  the 
distant  booming  of  artillery  came  to  our  ears. 

"Jove !  they  have  commenced  the  attack !"  I  exclaimed, 
breaking  into  a  run. 

"It's  General  Oshima's  batteries  bombarding  some  of 


We  Sight  Ping  An.  109 

the  outer  forts,"  replied  Osaki.  "He  has  been  here  for 
several  days,  waiting  until  the  forces  arrive  from  Gensan. 
My  friend,  the  captain,  told  me  an  attack  would  be  made 
from  three  sides  at  once.  Four  thousand  troops  from  this 
point,  and  about  double  that  number  from  the  other 
flanks." 

"Dp  they  intend  to  begin  the  assault  in  the  daytime?" 

"'No,  not  until  after  dark.  Probably  in  the  early  morn 
ing  hours.  Ah !  we  will  soon  reach  a  place  whence  we  can 
see  the  city  and  the  surrounding  forts.  A  few  feet  fur 
ther.  Just  around  that  spur  of  rock,  and — ah !" 

I  stopped  short  and  echoed  the  young  officer's  exclama 
tion  of  excitement.  We  were  on  the  brink  of  a  steep  de 
clivity,  which  led  down  to  a  valley  of  about  a  mile  in 
width.  On  two  sides  were  other  ranges  of  hills,  and  on 
the  remaining  edge  flowed  a  broad  river,  uncrossed  by 
aught  but  a  clumsy  pontoon  bridge. 

Beyond  this,  and  stretching  almost  from  the  water's 
edge,  was  a  large,  peculiarly  constructed  city  with  mass 
ive  stone  walls  and  a  never-ending  series  of  powerful 
earthworks. 

Forts  and  battlements,  towers  and  redoubts,  were  scat 
tered  in  a  seemingly  haphazard  manner  as  far  as  the 
eye  could  reach,  and  swarming  over  all  were  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  Chinese  soldiers,  moving  restlessly, 
like  the  warrior  ants  of  an  African  colony. 

It  was  Ping  An! 


CHAPTER   XV. 

IN     WHICH     I     FORSAKE    THE    PEN     FOR    THE    SWORD. 

It  was  an  inspiriting  sight,  and  it  drew  ejaculations  of 
wonder  from  my  companions  and  myself.  For  once, 
Jack  Bunce  could  not  find  apt  words  with  which  to  ex 
press  himself.  He  was  forced  to  stand  and  stare  at  the 
animated  scene  with  open  mouth  and  startled  eyes. 

Forbes  took  it  rather  coolly,  and  I  could  see  his  fingers 
moving,  as  if  itching  to  use  his  notebook  and  pen.  Osaki 
eyed  the  innumerable  forts  with  apparent  scorn,  and 
speedily  drew  my  attention  to  the  valley  directly  below  us. 

"Look  yonder,"  he  said,  pointing  downward.  "That  is 
not  a  fourth  of  our  forces.  Wait !  Wait  until  morning, 
and  that  city  will  present  a  different  sight,  I  assure  you." 

Directly  beneath  us  a  huge  body  of  troops  clad  in  neat 
European  uniforms  were  resting  on  their  arms,  waiting 
for  the  long  expected  order  to  begin  the  fray. 

There  were  at  least  thirty-five  hundred  of  them,  the 
majority  being  infantry.  Here  and  there  were  little 
troops  of  cavalry,  with  their  small,  hardy-looking  animals 
tethered  in  groups. 

No  tents  were  in  sight,  but  the  men  were  lying  around 
in  the  soft  grass  near  their  stacked  rifles,  and  giving  the 
impression  that  but  a  word  was  needed  to  place  them  on 
the  march  in  readiness  for  any  foe. 


The  Pen  for  the  Sword.  in 

Over  near  a  clump  of  trees  a  number  of  gayly-dressed 
officers  were  engaged  in  an  animated  conversation.  Every 
now  and  again  one  of  them  would  leave,  and  hasten  to 
another  part  of  the  camp,  evidently  with  important  or 
ders. 

These  were  minor  points  in  the  scene,  however. 
Mounted  on  three  or  four  hills,  slightly  lower  than  that 
upon  which  we  were  standing,  were  formidable  batteries 
of  mounted  howitzers  in  action. 

Spurts  of  flame  and  clouds  of  puffy  white  smoke  came 
from  them  at  rapid  intervals,  and  the  air  was  filled  with 
the  smell  of  sulphur  and  the  thunderous  discharge  of 
cannon. 

The  enemy  were  not  idle  by  any  means.  At  least  six 
forts  were  keeping  up  a  continual  fire,  but,  as  far  as  I 
could  see,  with  but  little  effect.  To  me  it  seemed  war 
itself,  but  Osaki  shrugged  his  shoulders  in  quiet  con 
tempt. 

"Wait,"  he  exclaimed.  "This  is  merely  a  little  prac 
tice.  Before  morning  that  valley  will  be  inferno  indeed. 
You  will  see  warm  times  before  you  are  many  hours 
older." 

And  I  did,  as  the  succeeding  pages  will  show. 

Calling  my  attention  to  three  large  earthworks,  crowded 
with  the  enemy  and  evidently  equipped  with  modern 
Krupp  three-inch  rifles,  the  young  Japanese  explained 
that  they  would  have  to  be  captured  before  the  force  near 
us  could  cross  the  river. 

''Just  beyond  that  is  the  bridge,  as  you  can  see,"  he 
added.  "It  looks  to  be  a  difficult  task,  but  I  prophesy 


H2  The  Pen  for  the  Sword. 

that  it  will  be  in  our  hands  before  dark.  General  Oshima 
has  been  here  for  two  days  hammering  away  at  them, 
and  they  are  on  the  verge  of  evacuating  now." 

I  shook  my  head  in  some  doubt.  To  me  the  earth 
works  seemed  almost  invulnerable.  The  sides  were  at 
least  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  each  was  built  upon  a  hill 
that  seemed  difficult  of  ascent. 

The  walls  were  simply  alive  with  soldiers,  but  I  no 
ticed  that  a  preposterous  majority  were  simply  standard- 
bearers,  and  were  apparently  unarmed.  In  fact,  the  dif 
ferent  redoubts  seemed  to  be  dotted  with  huge  silken 
banners  and  queer  shaped  flags. 

Suddenly,  Jack,  who  had  been  feasting  his  eyes  upon 
the  scene  in  silent  admiration,  called  out  that  the  Japanese 
forces  were  preparing  to  march.  Osaki  and  I  rushed  to 
his  side,  and  looked  down  into  the  valley. 

Just  then  the  faint  notes  of  a  bugle  came  to  our  ears, 
and  presently  it  was  caught  up  by  a  score  of  others.  With 
the  precision  of  veterans,  the  various  regiments  and  troops 
fell  into  line,  then  the  order  was  given  to  march,  and 
without  the  least  sign  of  confusion,  the  army  moved 
swiftly  toward  a  ravine,  and  disappeared  from  sight. 

"They  are  going  to  attack  the  outer  forts,"  cried  the 
young  officer,  excitedly.  "I  must  join  them  at  once.  We 
should  appoint  some  rendezvous  where  we  can  meet  after 
the  engagement.  Where  shall  it  be?  On  this  spot?" 

"Are  you  going  to  fight?"  interrupted  the  sailor. 

"Of  course,"  replied  Osaki. 

"Can't  ye  take  me  with  ye?  Don't  say  no;  please  don't 
say  no.  I've  come  all  the  way  from  Chemulpo  to  see  a 


The  Pen  for  the  Sword.  113 

little  scrimmage,  and  this  is  the  first  real  good  chance  I 
have  had.  If  ye'll  take  me  and  git  me  in  one  of  them 
companies,  I'll  guarantee  to  do  five  men's  fighting.  What 
d'ye  say?" 

The  young  officer  laughed  at  Jack's  earnest  pleading, 
but  he  shook  his  head. 

"It's  utterly  impossible,"  he  replied.  "You  will  be  ar 
rested  the  moment  you  show  your  face.  But  it'll  be  dark 
by-an-by,  and  if  you  really  wish  to  risk  your  life  you 
might  be  able  to  accompany  some  part  of  the  army." 

Jack  cut  a  pigeon-wing  in  an  ecstasy  of  delight. 

"I'll  be  there,  you  can  bet  your  bottom  dollar,"  he 
shouted.  "If  I'm  not  in  the  thick  of  the  scrap  it'll  be  be 
cause  I  lose  the  number  of  my  mess  mighty  early  in  the 
evening.  Oh !  I'll  be  there." 

"And  so  will  I,  don't  you  know?"  suddenly  drawled 
Forbes,  flourishing  his  spear,  which  he  had  brought  from 
the  little  glade.  "I  have  traveled  from  London  to  see 
the  fun,  and,  by  Jove!  I'm  not  going  to  miss  it.  If  the 
Japanese  succeed  in  capturing  that  city,  I  won't  be  the  last 
one  in." 

"And  neither  will  I,"  I  muttered  to  myself.  And  I 
meant  it. 

:.  I  had  listened  calmly  to  Osaki's  suggestion  that  I 
should  remain  idle  while  he  was  fighting,  and  collecting 
the  necessary  details,  but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  I  hadn't  the 
slightest  intention  of  obeying. 

The  very  sight  of  the  martial  scene  spread  out  before 
us  was  enough,  and  it  was  only  the  danger  of  premature 


1 14  The  Pen  for  the  Sword. 

arrest  that  prevented  me  from  insisting  on  accompany 
ing  Osaki  at  once. 

"We  will  make  this  place  the  rendezvous,"  I  said,  aloud. 
"It  seems  to  be  isolated  enough  for  the  purpose.  Under 
stand,  it  is  now  settled  that  we  meet  here  after  the  battle 
is  over." 

"That  is,  if  the  Japs  are  victorious,"  spoke  up  the 
young  Englishman.  "If  they  are  compelled  to  retreat 
the  Chinese  will  swarm  over  this  entire  neighborhood." 

"I  don't  think  you  can  anticipate  any  such  result," 
coldly  replied  Osaki,  "although  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  you  prefer  it  to  end  in  that  manner." 

Forbes  flushed,  and  was  on  the  point  of  retorting,  when 
our  attention  was  suddenly  called  to  the  three  forts  men 
tioned  before,  by  a  series  of  cheers  in  that  direction. 

The  young  officer  rushed  to  the  edge  of  the  hill,  gave 
one  look,  and  then  vanished  down  the  side  with  a  farewell 
wave  of  his  hand.  Jack  instantly  followed  him,  and  when 
Forbes  and  I  reached  the  brink  they  had  disappeared  from 
view. 

One  glance  showed  me  why  they  had  left  in  such  haste. 
The  Japanese  troops  we  had  seen  disappear  in  the  ravine 
were  again  in  sight.  They  had  emerged  close  to  the 
nearest  Chinese  fort,  and  were  in  the  very  act  of  storming 
the  southern  breastworks. 

The  spectacle  presented  was  simply  sublime.  Company 
after  company  of  the  Japs,  in  their  picturesque  uniforms, 
left  the  main  body,  and,  hurling  themselves  upon  the  outer 
ramparts,  charged  up  to  the  very  muzzles  of  the  enemy's 
guns. 


The  Pen  for  the  Sword.  115 

Utterly  oblivious  of  my  surroundings,  I  leaned  far  over 
the  edge  of  the  hill,  and  watched  the  thrilling  scene  with 
fascinated  eyes.  I  saw  the  first  assault  repulsed.  I  saw 
a  company  of  sharpshooters  emerge  from  a  corner  re 
doubt,  and  pour  such  a  deadly  fire  into  the  ranks  of  the 
Japanese  that  the  first  two  lines  were  cut  down  like  rip 
ened  grain. 

I  watched  reinforcements  hurried  forward  under  the 
command  of  a  white-haired  officer ;  saw  him  lift  his  flash 
ing  sword  with  the  signal  to  charge,  and  then,  just  as 
I  clapped  my  hands  with  a  sob  of  excitement,  I  beheld 
him  tossed  into  the  air,  literally  blown  to  pieces  by  a 
shell  at  short  range. 

A  deep-toned  shout  of  anger  rose  above  the  frightful 
din  of  battle,  and  then,  with  the  irresistible  force  of  a 
whirlwind,  the  Japanese  soldiers  swept  over  living  and 
dead,  and  straight  into  the  earthworks. 

One  fort  was  taken! 

Wild  with  excitement,  I  turned  to  speak  to  the  young 
Englishman.  He  was  gone.  I  did  not  tarry  to  search 
for  him.  The  delirium  of  battle  was  in  my  veins,  and,  re 
gardless  of  consequences,  I  darted  down  the  steep  sides 
of  the  hill  toward  the  thick  of  the  fray. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

IN  WHICH  I  HELP  ATTACK  A  FORT. 

The  sun  had  vanished  behind  the  western  range  of  hills 
several  moments  before  I  started  down  to  use  my  sword 
on  the  side  of  the  attacking  forces,  and  by  the  time  I 
gained  the  ravine  leading  to  the  little  plain  it  had  grown 
dusk. 

This  meant  the  near  approach  of  darkness,  a  fact  I 
welcomed,  as  it  would  enable  me  to  join  the  troops  with 
little  danger  of  discovery.  While  stumbling  along  the 
course  taken  but  a  half  hour  previous  by  General  Oshima's 
command,  I  came  upon  a  military  blouse  lying  partially 
concealed  behind  a  clump  of  millet. 

It  had  doubtless  been  thrown  aside  by  some  enthusi 
astic  officer  while  on  the  hurried  march.  With  an  eye  to 
the  main  chance,  I  picked  it  up  and  speedily  exchanged 
my  own  fashionably  cut  garment  for  one  less  calculated  to 
attract  attention. 

Thus  partially  disguised,  I  hurried  through  the  short 
ravine,  presently  emerging  upon  the  open  ground  occu 
pied  by  the  Japanese  troops.  I  saw,  to  my  surprise,  that 
a  most  important  transformation  had  taken  place  in  the 
meantime. 

When  I  left  the  summit  of  the  hill  the  first  fort  had  sur 
rendered,  to  all  intents ;  now  I  saw  it  was  still  being  de- 


I  Help  Attack  a  Fort.  117 

fended  by  the  Chinese  forces,  the  Japs  having  fallen  back 
some  distance. 

Not  three  hundred  yards  from  me,  several  distin 
guished-looking  officers  were  in  the  midst  of  a  consulta 
tion.  As  I  watched,  one  of  them  hurried  away,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  the  entire  command,  with  the  exception  of  sev 
eral  companies  advantageously  located  on  a  hill,  began  a 
retreat  toward  the  ravine  I  had  just  left. 

Before  I  could  conceal  myself  I  was  surrounded  by  the 
soldiers.  I  thought  I  would  certainly  be  discovered,  but 
the  excitement  of  the  maneuver  prevented  them  from 
recognizing  me. 

Watching  my  chance,  I  managed  to  climb  up  the  slop 
ing  ground  to  a  place  giving  an  unobstructed  view  of  the 
forts.  It  was  an  exposed  position,  and  the  bullets  rained 
thick  and  fast  around  me,  but  I  heeded  them  not.  My  one 
purpose  was  to  see  as  much  as  possible,  and  I  verily  be 
lieve  I  would  have  mounted  the  ramparts  if  it  had  been 
practicable  at  that  moment. 

A  sudden  lull  in  the  attack  caused  my  martial  ardor  to 
give  way  to  other  instincts  for  the  time  being,  and  I  has 
tily  jotted  down  a  description  of  the  preliminary  events. 

While  thus  engaged,  darkness  fell,  and  I  was  com 
pelled  to  cease  writing.  I  turned  my  attention  to  the 
army  massed  just  below  me.  Through  the  gloom  I  could 
see  a  continuous  movement  of  troops.  Presently  this 
ceased,  and  a  strange  calm,  only  broken  by  the  fitful  boom 
ing  of  cannon  across  the  river,  fell  upon  the  scene. 

"Jove,   something  is   going  ,to  happen    before   many 


u8  I  Help  Attack  a  Fort. 

moments,"  I  muttered,  strangely  impressed  by  the  pecul 
iar  change. 

In  the  direction  of  the  forts,  lights  appeared,  studding 
the  stretch  of  ramparts  like  the  illumination  of  a  water 
front.  Suddenly  these  were  extinguished,  leaving  a 
blackness  even  stronger  than  before. 

That  some  movement  of  importance  was  about  to  take 
place  I  felt  certain.  Carried  away  by  my  curiosity,  I  left 
my  position  on  the  hillside,  and  descended  to  the  plain. 

Oh  reaching  the  bottom,  I  almost  stumbled  over  the 
prostrate  figure  of  a  soldier.  He  half  rose  to  his  knees, 
and  growled  at  me.  A  whispered  command,  uttered  in 
stern  tones,  came  from  some  officer  close  at  hand.  I  dis 
creetly  dropped  to  the  ground,  at  last  understanding  the 
cause  of  the  silence. 

It  was  an  ambuscade,  awaiting  an  attacking  party  from 
the  forts.  I  now  saw  why  the  astute  Japanese  general 
had  apparently  ordered  a  retreat.  Beaten  back  from  the 
southern  fort  time  and  again,  he  had  changed  his  tactics, 
withdrawing  to  the  ravine  in  hope  that  the  enemy  would 
follow. 

Would  they  fall  into  the  trap  ? 

I  had  hardly  asked  myself  the  question,  when  a  slight 
noise  came  from  in  front.  An  almost  imperceptible  wave 
of  excitement  ran  through  the  line  of  crouching  figures. 
A  faint  bugle  call  sounded  from  the  depths  of  the  ravine. 
It  was  a  ruse. 

Suddenly  I  felt  a  slight  touch  on  my  arm,  and,  turn 
ing,  saw  a  face  thrust  close  to  mine.  I  gave  a  start  of 


I  Help  Attack  a  Fort.  119 

surprise,  and  was  on  the  point  of  speaking,  when  a  warn 
ing  whisper  came  to  my  ears. 

"Sh-h!  not  a  word,  Bennett.  I  fancied  I  recognized 
you  when  you  almost  fell  over  me.  Thought  you  would 
take  a  hand  in  the  fun,  eh?" 

It  was  Osaki.  Before  I  could  reply,  he  placed  a  maga 
zine  rifle  and  a  box  of  cartridges  into  my  hands. 

"Here  you  go,"  he  said.  "It  is  already  loaded.  Don't 
use  it,  though,  until  the  word  is " 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  sharp  blast  of  a  trumpet. 
It  was  the  signal.  Before  the  clarion  note  had  died  away 
the  scene  was  illumined  by  a  thousand  jets  of  flame,  and 
then,  following  the  thunderous  report,  came  an  awful 
chorus  of  cries. 

By  the  aid  of  the  first  flash  I  saw  a  broad  line  of  Chi 
nese  soldiers  within  a  dozen  yards  of  us.  The  death- 
dealing  volley  had  thrown  them  into  the  greatest  con 
fusion,  and  men  were  falling  to  the  right  and  left  in 
scores. 

A  few  made  a  determined  charge  upon  our  position,  but 
the  well-aimed  bullets  of  the  Japanese  sharpshooters 
brought  them  down  almost  to  a  man.  I  remember  firing 
my  rifle  a  half-dozen  times,  but  with  what  effect  I  knew 
not. 

Suddenly  the  command  to  charge  was  passed  along  the 
line.  Osaki  turned  to  me,  and  with  a  fierce  laugh, 
shouted  in  English: 

"Are  you  with  us,  Bennett?  We  have  them  now.  Be 
in  it  at  the  death." 

I  replied  incoherently,  and,  discarding  my  gun,  darted 


120  I  Help  Attack  a  Fort. 

along  at  his  side  with  drawn  sword.  Before  we  had 
taken  ten  steps  a  thunder  of  hoofs  sounded  behind  us. 
Cries  of  warning  were  given,  and,  scrambling  over  bushes 
and  across  little  heaps  of  bodies,  I  managed  to  get  out  of 
the  way  just  in  time  to  avoid  a  couple  of  troops  of  cavalry 
which  had  been  ordered  from  the  rear. 

In  the  excitement  I  missed  the  young  officer.  Itldid  not 
matter,  as  I  needed  no  guide  to  show  me  the  way.  Im 
mediately  after  the  horse  troops  swept  by  a  combined  rush 
was  made,  and  I  found  myself  in  the  very  thick  of  it. 

Presently  the  cannonading  recommenced,  and  by  the 
nearness  of  the  reports  I  knew  we  were  close  to  the  first 
fort.  An  incessant  series  of  flashes  from  the  heavy  guns 
afforded  an  illumination  by  which  I  was  enabled  to  see  for 
some  distance. 

It  was  a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten.  Directly  in 
front  of  me  were  the  wiry  little  horses  of  the  Japanese 
cavalry  galloping  along  at  a  break-neck  speed.  Beyond 
them  I  could  see  here  and  there  the  flying  remnants  of 
the  Chinese  force,  and  still  further  ahead  loomed  up  the 
shadowy  outlines  of  the  enemy's  earthworks. 

On  all  sides  of  me  and  to  the  rear  were  the  infantry, 
three  thousand  or  more.  The  red  flashes  from  the  field- 
pieces  lighted  up  their  grim,  determined  faces,  and  spar 
kled  fitfully  from  a  long  line  of  gleaming  bayonets.  Not 
a  dozen  paces  beyond  I  could  see  a  detachment  of  some 
crack  corps.  Their  tasteful  uniforms  all  bore  a  fanciful 
knot  of  ribbon — doubtlessly  placed  <there  by  some  loving 
sweetheart. 

It  was  no  mark  of  tawdry  decoration,  but  rather  a 


I  Help  Attack  a  Fort.  121 

gage  such  as  worn  by  the  knight  errants  of  old,  and  when 
future  historians  will  write  of  the  battle  of  Ping  An  that 
regiment  will  hold  no  second  place,  I  am  assured. 

Within  twenty  minutes  from  the  time  we  started  rising 
ground  proclaimed  that  we  were  approaching  the  first 
fort.  Suddenly  I  saw  the  cavalry  give  a  final  charge, 
and  then  sweep  to  one  side.  Their  work  was  ended  for 
the  nonce. 

Now  came  our  turn.  An  officer  running  in  front  of 
me  presently  raised  his  sword  high  in  the  air,  then  with 
a  whoop  and  a  yell,  we  raced  forward  through  a  perfect 
hail  of  shot  and  shell,  straight  up  to  the  outer  line  of 
earthworks. 

I  remember  little  of  the  following  ten  minutes.  I  know 
I  was  mad  with  a  desire  to  kill,  and  I  strained  every  nerve 
to  gain  the  top  of  the  rampart.  A  man  standing  in  front 
barred  my  way.  I  pushed  him  to  one  side.  He  stumbled 
and  fell.  I  used  his  body  .as  a  stepping  place  from  which 
to  grasp  the  edge  of  the  redoubt,  and  had  almost  drawn 
myself  up  when  the  lifeless  figure  of  a  Chinaman  dropped 
from  above  upon  my  shoulders. 

Together  we  rolled  to  the  bottom  of  the  incline,  where 
I  lay  for  a  brief  period  almost  unconscious. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

IN     WHICH     FORBES     RECEIVES     A     LESSON     IN     FENCING. 

The  tumult  and  din  of  battle  at  last  aroused  me,  and  I 
staggered  to  my  feet.  The  fight  was  still  raging  in  front, 
with  no  immediate  promise  of  cessation.  From  the  direc 
tion  of  the  forts  came  a  constant  roar  of  artillery  and 
small  arms,  intermingled  here  and  there  with  fierce  shouts 
and  the  piercing  wails  of  the  injured. 

The  sounds  sent  the  blood  coursing  through  my  veins 
again,  and  I  darted  forward  to  rejoin  the  Japanese  troops. 
As  it  happened,  I  arrived  just  as  a  desperate  attack  was 
made  upon  the  southern  fort. 

Carried  on  by  the  rush,  I  suddenly  found  myself  hack 
ing  away  at  an  apparently  interminable  row  of  heads  upon 
the  ramparts.  Then  those  behind  forced  me  still  further, 
and  I  was  soon  engaged  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  a 
stalwart  Chinese  soldier  within  the  fort  itself. 

I  thrust  at  him,  and  he  fell ;  another  took  his  place. 
This  time  I  was  not  so  successful;  and  received  a  blow 
which  sent  me  to  my  knees.  Fortunately,  it  had  been  de 
livered  with  the  butt  end  of  a  spear,  and  I  escaped  unin 
jured. 

A  terrific  struggle  was  in  progress  all  around  me,  and 
I  speedily  scrambled  erect  to  get  away  from  the  heels  of 
the  trampling  soldiers.  As  I  did  so  I  came  face  to  face 


Forbes  Receives  a  Lesson.  123 

with  a  man  armed  with  a  reeking  sword.  He  tried  to 
spit  me,  but  I  parried.  Then  a  fieldpiece  was  discharged, 
and  by  the  ruddy  flame  I  recognized  him. 

It  was  Jack  Bunce ! 

He  knew  me  at  once,  and  gave  a  brief  nod  of  greet 
ing  at  the  same  time  cleverly  cutting  down  a  Chinaman 
clad  in  the  white  and  blue  of  a  staff  officer.  A  moment 
later  the  combat  drifted  away  a  few  paces,  leaving  us 
alone  in  an  angle  piled  high  with  dead  and  wounded. 

"This  is  just  glorious,"  cried  the  sailor,  his  face  beam 
ing  with  delight.  "This  is  worth  coming  four  thousand 
miles  to  see.  And  the  best  of  it  is,  this  is  only  a  scrim 
mage;  the  real  fightin'  is  yonder,  over  the  river.  Want 
to  go  across  with  me?" 

I  assented  at  once.  It  was  my  business  to  see  as  much 
of  the  battle  as  possible,  although  as  I  looked  around  at 
the  fierce  conflict  I  could  hardly  believe  that  we  were  not 
in  the  thickest  part  of  it  then. 

"Have  you  learned  how  the  fight  is  going  over  there  ?" 
I  asked. 

"Not  a  blooming  word,  but  I  think  the  Japs  are  licking 
the  everlasting  tar  out  of  the  pig-tails,"  replied  Jack, 
raising  his  voice  above  the  infernal  din. 

"Did  you  add  many  mementoes  to  your  collection  ?" 

"I  haven't  had  time  to  collect  any,  but  I  have  kept  tally. 
It's  thirteen  now,  and — wait  a  minute." 

He  darted  away,  and  disappeared  in  the  midst  of  a 
violent  combat  in  progress  between  several  companies  of 
Chinese  and  a  fresh  force  of  the"attackin^-  party.  I  was 


124  Forbes  Receives  a  Lesson. 

on  the  point  of  following  him  when  he  suddenly  came  in 
sight  again. 

"Here's  another  one,"  he  exclaimed,  waving  a  section 
of  a  queue.  Then  he  added,  apologetically : 

"Excuse  me  for  leaving  ye,  Bennett,  but  it  just  struck 
me  that  thirteen  was  an  onlucky  number,  so  I  increased 
the  limit,  d'ye  see?  Come  on,  we'll  cross  that  bridge, 
and  see  how  they're  making  out  on  the  other  side.  I 
guess  this  here  fort  is  about  captured." 

"There  are  two  more,  you  know,"  I  remarked,  sugges 
tively. 

"That's  true,  and  there'll  probably  be  lots  of  scrappin' 
here  yet,  but  I  want  to  shift  about  a  little.  Have  ye  seen 
Osaki  or  that  blooming  Britisher?" 

"I  met  the  young  officer  just  before  we  charged  this 
earthwork,  but  I  haven't  run  across  Forbes  yet,"  I  re 
plied.  "What  do  you  say  ?  Shall  we  move  over " 

I  was  interrupted  by  a  yell  from  my  companion. 

"Look  out,  lad!  Git  your  sticker  ready!"  he  ex 
claimed.  "Here  comes  a  whole  mob  of  them  yellow 
devils.  Ah,  ye  would,  eh?" 

I  turned  just  in  time  to  see  a  half-dozen  Japanese  rap 
idly  retreating  before  at  least  fifty  of  the  enemy.  Howl 
ing  at  the  highest  pitch  of  their  voices,  the  latter  charged 
fiercely  upon  the  Japs,  and  swept  them  toward  us  at  a 
lively  rate. 

In  an  instant  Jack  and  I  were  fighting  tooth  and  nail. 
I  made  one  good  sweep  with  my  sword,  but  before  I 
could  repeat  the  action  I  was  carried  from  my  feet  and 
forced  clear  over  the  breastworks. 


Forbes  Receives  a  Lesson.  125 

In  trying  to  save  myself  I  caught  at  the  edge  of  the 
parapet,  but  the  earth  crumbled  in  my  hands,  and  I  fell 
downward,  landing  with  a  thump  upon  some  yielding  ob 
ject. 

At  that  moment  the  thatched  roof  of  an  abandoned  hut 
near  by  caught  fire.  The  blazing  straw  cast  a  ruddy 
light  over  the  scene,  and  revealed  to  my  astonished  gaze 
the  familiar  figure  of  the  young  English  correspondent. 

He  was  lying  prone  upon  the  ground,  not  a  foot  from 
me.  It  did  not  need  a  second  glance  to  show  me  that  in 
falling  I  had  landed  squarely  upon  his  head.  Still  gasp 
ing  for  breath,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  at  the  same  time  try 
ing  to  thrust  some  object  into  his  blouse. 

I  saw  at  once  it  was  a  notebook,  and  I  knew  that  the 
fellow  had  actually  been  jotting  down  a  brief  report  al 
most  under  the  guns  of  the  fort. 

Just  then  a  loud  hail  caused  us  to  look  up.  A  pair  of 
legs  appeared  over  the  ramparts,  then  a  stalwart  body 
followed,  and  a  second  later  Jack  Bunce  dropped  down 
between  us. 

"Ha!  the  Englishman,  eh?"  he  exclaimed.  "What 
were  you  doing  down  here,  don't  ye  know?  Trying  to 
find  a  pair  of  stairs,  I  suppose?" 

Forbes  snatchced  up  his  sword,  which  had  been 
knocked  to  the  ground,  and  replied,  fiercely : 

"What  do  you  mean,  you  Yankee  dog?  I  am  getting 
tired  of  your  insults.  Defend  yourself!" 

With  the  last  word  he  thrust  at  Jack.  The  sailor 
stepped  aside  to  avoid  it,  and  then,  with  a  quick  turn  of 
his  own  weapon,  skillfully  disarmed  his  opponent. 


126  Forbes  Receives  a  Lesson. 

"Don't  be  so  rash,  young  fellow,  or  you  might  git 
hurt,"  he  said,  coolly.  "I  reckon  we  have  plenty  of 
fightin'  on  our  hands  without  pinking  each  other.  Now, 
pick  up  your  sticker  and  use  it  on  a  pig-tail." 

"That's  good  advice,  Forbes,"  I  said,  thinking  it  time 
to  take  a  hand  in  the  controversy.  "You  shouldn't  be 
so  quick  to  take  offence,  especially  at  a  time  like  this." 

"You  are  right,  Bennett,"  replied  the  young  English 
man,  calming  down  at  once.  "I  am  sorry  I  acted  so 
hastily;  still,  Jack  shouldn't  be  so  confounded  free  with 
his  insinuations.  By  Jove!  you  know  a  trick  or  two 
with  the  sword,  my  man.  Did  you  learn  it  in  the  Ameri 
can  navy  ?" 

The  last  was  addressed  to  Bunce,  who  simply  smiled 
and  nodded  carelessly.  Forbes  picked  up  his  weapon, 
and  examined  it. 

"Where  were  you  people  going  in  such  a  deuce  of  a 
hurry  ?"  he  drawled. 

"Across  the  river,"  I  replied;  then  I  gave  him  a  keen 
glance,  and  added: 

"By  the  way,  don't  you  think  this  is  a  pretty  warm 
place  for  letter  writing?" 

"What  do  you  mean?"  he  replied,  flushing.  "Letter 
writing?  Why,  I " 

He  was  interrupted  by  Jack,  who  suddenly  stepped  for 
ward  and  picked  up  some  object  from  near  his  feet.  He 
held  it  aloft,  and  winked  at  me.  It  was  a  metal  foun 
tain-pen. 

"Better  wait  before  ye  deny  it,"  remarked  the  sailor. 
"If  I'm  not  mistaken,  this  is  your'n.  Yes,  here's  a  name 


Forbes  Receives  a  Lesson.  127 

engraved  on  it.  Hum!  it  reads:  'Alfred  Montague 
Forbes.'  Now,  d'ye " 

Before  he  could  finish  the  sentence  the  young  English 
man  snatched  the  pen  from  his  hand.  Turning  on  his 
heel,  he  walked  rapidly  away,  disappearing  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  river. 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  Bunce.  "That's  what  we  call 
circumstantial  evidence  in  old  Californy.  What  is  he,  a 
correspondent  of  some  paper?" 

"You  have  hit  it  exactly,"  I  replied,  quickly.  "He  is 
an  English  war  correspondent,  sent  out  here  by  the  Brit 
ish  Press  Association.  I  found — what's  the  matter  with 
you?" 

While  speaking,  I  saw  Jack's  face  assume  an  expres 
sion  of  profound  amazement.  Then  he  suddenly  wheeled 
around  with  his  back  to  me,  and  shook  with  what  seemed 
suppressed  emotion. 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

IN     WHICH     JACK    AND     I    TAKE    TO    THE    RIVER. 

"What  in  the  deuce  is  the  matter  with  you?"  I  re 
peated,  angrily.  "Are  you  going  to  have  a  fit?" 

"No;  I  was  just  laughing  at  the  way  he  skedaddled 
when  we  found  him  out,"  replied  the  sailor,  again  facing 
me.  "What  a  fool  he  is,  anyway.  Why  don't  he  tell 
these  here  Japs  what  he  is?" 

"For  a  very  good  reason.  If  he  should  do  that  all  his 
dispatches  would  be  examined  by  the  authorities,  and 
they  would  probably  cut  out  the  interesting  parts." 

"How  d'ye  know  he  is  -a  writer  for  the  Britishers  ?" 

"I'll  tell  you  later,  Jack,"  I  replied.  "It's  rather  a  long 
story.  Come  on  if  you  are  going  across  the  river.  It's 
getting  near  daylight." 

"Wonder  where  Osaki  is?"  asked  the  sailor,  as  we 
moved  away  from  the  earthworks. 

"I  don't  know.  I  wish  he  would  turn  up  and  go  with 
us." 

"He's  a  mighty  good  feller  for  a  Jap.  Got  his  heart  in 
the  right  place." 

I  was  not  backward  in  acknowledging  the  truth  of  the 
remark.  None  knew  better  than  myself  what  a  noble 
youth  the  young  Japanese  was.  As  we  skulked  down 
past  the  edge  of  the  fort  I  glanced  anxiously  on  all  sides 
for  traces  of  him,  but  without  success. 


Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River.         129 

A  drizzling  rain  set  in  before  we  reached  the  bank  of 
the  river,  which,  together  with  a  chill  wind  blowing  down 
the  valley  of  the  Tatong,  rendered  us  somewhat  uncom 
fortable. 

We  were  in  a  very  exposed  position.  The  forts  on  our 
side,  and  the  guns  planted  along  the  front  of  the  city  still 
kept  up  an  incessant  firing.  For  a  time  it  seemed  as  if 
we  walked  in  a  very  rain  of  bullets. 

My  companion  plodded  along  entirely  oblivious  of  the 
extreme  danger.  I  confess  that  a  promenade  farther  re 
moved  from  that  particular  place  would  have  been  more 
to  my  taste,  but  I  forbore  from  offering  the  suggestion 
to  Jack. 

Presently  we  reached  the  bridge.  One  glance  showed 
us  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  cross  by  that  means. 
For  a  space  of  thirty  or  forty  feet  the  woodwork  had 
been  torn  away,  possibly  by  a  shell,  leaving  a  gap  too 
great  for  us  to  span. 

"  'Tain't  any  use,"  said  Bunce,  regretfully.  "We've 
got  to  try  some  other  means." 

"What  about  a  boat  ?"  I  suggested.  "Perhaps  we  will 
find  one  further  down." 

"Or  up,"  corrected  the  sailor,  pointing,  significantly, 
toward  a  couple  of  formidable  fortresses  crowning  the 
river  bank  to  the  south.  "We  can't  pass  them  hornets' 
nests,  my  boy." 

Without  further  words,  we  edged  along  the  water  in 
the  opposite  direction.  Five  minutes  later  we  arrived  op 
posite  what  seemed  to  be  a  citadel.  Despite  the  dark- 


130         Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River. 

ness  of  the  night,  it  was  brought  out  in  bold  relief  by 
the  flashing  of  innumerable  guns. 

The  noise  even  where  we  stood  was  deafening,  and 
Jack  had  to  rely  upon  motions  to  tell  me  that  he  espied 
some  kind  of  a  craft  stranded  on  the  bank  a  short  dis 
tance  above  us. 

We  lost  no  time  in  investigating,  and  found  that  it  was 
a  stubby  Corean  punt,  and  fairly  serviceable.  Two  long 
oars,  resembling  sweeps,  were  in  the  bottom,  and  lying 
upon  one  of  the  seats  was  a  primitive  horn  lantern. 

"Git  in!"  bellowed  the  sailor.  "We'll  try  to  cross  in 
the  crazy  thing." 

"We  can't  land  under  that  citadel !"  I  shouted,  in  reply. 
"We  wouldn't  last  two  seconds  in  that  fire." 

"We  can  go  farther  above  if  the  current  isn't  too 
blamed  strong.  Git  in." 

I  obeyed,  and  secured  the  oars  in  readiness  to  row, 
while  Jack  shoved  the  bow  from<the  bank.  A  moment 
later  we  were  swinging  out  into  the  stream.  The  scene 
from  that  point  of  view  was  so  novel  that  I  forgot  to  use 
the  sweeps,  and  before  I  knew  it  we  had  been  carried 
down  almost  opposite  one  of  the  enemy's  earthworks  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  river. 

"Pull,  lad !"  exclaimed  Bunce,  seizing  one  of  the  slen 
der  oars.  "Pull  for  your  ilfe!" 

•  In  my  anxiety  to  redeem  my  error,  I  made  a  sudden 
spurt,  and  in  the  act  snapped  the  blade  of  the  sweep  close 
to  the  handle.  Jack  gave  a  strong  tug  at  the  same  mo 
ment,  and  the  inevitable  result  was  that  we  shot  out  into 
midstream. 


Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River.         131 

"Thunder  and  blazes!"  exclaimed  Bunce.  "We're  in 
for  it  now,  lad.  Duck  out  of  sight  in  the  bottom,  or  ten 
thousand  pig-tails  will  have  us  as  a  target  before  we 
Jcnow  it." 

I  waited  long  enough  to  see  that  the  current,  which 
was  very  rapid,  had  the  punt  in  its  control,  then  I 
crouched  alongside  of  my  companion. 

"I'm  awful  sorry,  old  fellow,"  I  began.  "It's  my  fault 
that " 

"Stow  that,  lad,"  replied  Jack,  cheerily.  "Accidents 
will  happen,  ye  know.  It's  probably  just  as  well,  any 
way.  If  we  had  landed  farther  up  we  might  have  been 
killed  or  captured.  Now,  we'll  have  a  chance  to  see 
what's  going  on  below." 

"This  is  certainly  a  hot  fight,"  I  said,  after  a  brief 
pause.  "There  hasn't  been  a  lull  in  the  firing  since  sun 
set,  and  now  it  must  be  within  a  half-hour  of  daybreak. 
I  wonder  which  side  is  winning?" 

"The  Japs.  They  are  bound  to  git  the  best  of  them 
Chinese.  I've  seen  some  tall  scrappin'  in  my  time,  but  I 
never  saw  such  bravery  and  skill  as  Osaki's  people  have 
shown  this  night." 

"The  Chinese  are  doing  very  well,  considering  their 
leaders.  If  they  were  officered  by  Europeans  or  Ameri 
cans,  they  would  give  a  good  account  of  themselves. 
Don't  you  think  so?" 

"Yes,  I  guess  you're  right,  Bennett,"  replied  Jack, 
shifting  his  position  so  he  could  peer  over  the  gunwale. 
He  glanced  up  the  river,  toward  both  banks,  and  then 
turned  his  gaze  toward  the  south.  He  gave  one  look  in 


132         Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River. 

the  latter  direction,  then  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  cry  of 
alarm. 

"The  bridge!  the  bridge!  We  are  running  into  the 
bridge!" 

I  was  on  my  feet  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  Sure 
enough,  we  were  bearing  down  upon  the  pontoon  bridge 
with  all  the  force  of  a  three-knot  current.  It  was  still  a 
hundred  yards  away,  but  at  the  rate  we  were  moving 
very  little  time  remained  to  save  ourselves. 

Both  Jack  and  I  snatched  at  the  remaining  sweep,  but 
he  secured  it  first,  and  immediately  set  to  work  steering 
the  frail  craft  toward  the  eastern  shore^  where,  as  will 
be  remembered,  a  thirty-foot  section  had  been  torn  away 
by  a  shell. 

"See  if  you  can  help  with  the  broken  oar !"  gasped  the 
sailor,  placing  the  full  force  of  his  muscle  upon  his  sweep. 

I  tried,  but  with  little  effect.  At  last,  seeing  that  we 
would  run  perilously  near  to  the  end  of  the  bridge,  I 
hastened  to  the  bow  with  the  intention  of  shoving  the 
punt  clear  of  the  pontoons. 

Even  despite  the  extreme  danger  of  our  situation,  I 
could  not  help  glancing  around  at  the  wonderful  scenes 
of  which  we  were  the  center.  On  both  sides  of  the  river 
the  flashing  of  guns  continued  without  intermission. 

The  uproar  was  simply  terrific.  The  sullen  boom  of 
the  rifled  cannon  and  the  sharp,  spiteful  snapping  of 
small  arms,  the  peculiar  whir-r-r  of  Catlings,  and  ;i 
steady  outcry  on  the  part  of  the  Chinese  soldiers,  formed 
a  pandemonium  of  noise  such  as  I  had  never  heard  before.'. 

Every  now  and  then  a  wild  cheer  would  come  from 


Jack  and  I  Take  to  the  River.         133 

some  part  of  the  combat,  marking  a  new  success  of  the 
Japanese.  Those  significant  outbursts  were  becoming 
very  frequent,  and  I  felt  overjoyed. 

Suddenly  a  formidable  explosion  came  from  the  direc 
tion  of  the  citadel.  It  was  accompanied  by  a  fierce  glare 
of  reddish  light,  then  a  shower  of  debris,  small  stones, 
clods  of  earth,  and  particles  of  human  flesh  rained 
upon  us. 

"A  battery  gone  up!"  shouted  Jack,  lustily  working 
with  his  oar.  "Watch  your  eye,  now.  Git  ready  to  pole 
her  off  when  we  reach  the  edge  of  that  nearest  pontoon." 

A  moment  later  we  struck  the  bridge  close  to  the  open 
ing.  I  thrust  the  broken  oar  against  a  projecting  beam, 
and  shoved  with  all  my  strength.  At  first  the  punt 
swung  clear;  then,  just  as  I  was  on  the  point  of  con 
gratulating  myself,  a  swirling  eddy  caught  the  bow  and 
sent  us  broadside  against  a  pontoon. 

I  heard  Jack  give  a  cry,  then  he  sprang  upward  and 
grasped  an  overhanging  timber.  I  attempted  to  follow, 
but  before  I  could  jump  clear  of  the  punt  it  shot  out  into 
the  opening,  carrying  me  with  it. 

A  moment  later  I  was  whirling  down  the  stream, 
close  to  a  long  stretch  of  fortresses  lining  the  eastern 
bank.  I  gave  a  hurried  glance  in  the  direction  of  the 
bridge,  and  saw  Jack's  stalwart  figure  outlined  against 
the  reddish  glare  of  the  citadel's  guns;  then,  crouching 
in  the  bottom  of  the  punt,  I  waited,  and  watched  for  an 
opportunity  to  swim  ashore. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

IN  WHICH   I  LOSE  ONE  FRIEND  AND   MEET  ANOTHER. 

My  first  thought  on  finding  myself  alone  in  the  punt 
was  of  Jack's  safety.  During  our  brief  acquaintance  I 
had  grown  fond  of  the  sailor.  His  hearty  manner  and 
imperturbable  good  nature  made  him  a  good  companion, 
and  one  who  could  be  trusted,  if  his  face  did  not  belie 
him. 

After  several  moments  had  passed  I  ventured  another 
glance  in  the  direction  of  the  pontoon  bridge.  At  first  I 
could  see  no  trace  of  the  sailor.  Then,  just  as  I  con 
cluded  that  he  had  lowered  himself  into  the  river,  I  ob 
served  a  shadowy  figure  creeping  toward  the  Ping  An 
shore. 

A  simultaneous  discharge  of  several  guns  near  by  cast 
a  sudden  light  upon  the  object,  and  I  recognized  Bunce's 
familiar  cap.  It  was  he  beyond  a  doubt. 

"Thank  God,  he  is  still  alive !"  I  muttered. 

The  words  had  scarcely  left  my  mouth  when,  with  a 
roar  and  a  diabolical  whistle,  a  three-inch  shell  whizzed 
over  my  head  from  a  fort  on  the  eastern  bank. 

A  second  later  it  struck  the  bridge,  and  exploded  al 
most  at  Jack's  feet.  The  sudden  flash  blinded  me  for  a 
brief  period,  and  when  I  could  see  again  I  cried  out  in 
horror. 


One  Friend  and  Another.  135 

Bunce  was  gone ! 

During  the  following  ten  minutes  I  lay  in  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  listening,  sorrowfully,  to  the  interminable  hub 
bub  of  the  battle.  Then  something  occurred  to  arouse 
me  to  a  realization  of  my  surroundings. 

The  punt  had  been  floating  steady  enough,  but  I  could 
tell  from  its  swaying  motion  that  it  changed  directions 
every  now  and  again.  Presently,  just  as  I  was  on  the 
point  of  taking  an  observation,  I  heard  the  low  murmur 
of  voices,  seemingly  close  at  hand. 

Then  the  lower  end  of  the  craft  bumped  slightly 
against  some  object.  Raising  up,  I  saw  that  I  had 
floated  into  the  midst  of  a  whole  flotilla  of  Corean  boats. 

There  were  at  least  fifteen  of  them,  and  each  appeared 
to  be  completely  crowded  with  soldiers.  By  their  uni 
forms  I  easily  recognized  them  as  Japanese. 

An  officer  in  the  nearest  craft  called  out  in  a  low  tone. 
His  words  were  Greek  to  me,  and  I  did  not  reply.  Then 
I  saw  the  glint  of  a  gun-barrel  in  his  hands,  and  I  made 
haste  to  throw  up  both  arms  as  a  token  of  surrender. 

As  I  did  so  I  heard  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  One 
of  the  occupants  of  another  boat  suddenly  stood  up,  and 
asked,  joyfully: 

"Jove!  is  that  you,  Bennett?  Where  under  the  sun 
did  you  come  from  ?  How  did  you  get  into  that  craft  ?" 

With  a  cry  of  pleasure,  I  paddled  the  punt  close  to  that 
in  which  the  speaker  stood,  and  warmly  clasped  his  hand. 
Then  Osaki — for  it  was  that  gallant  young  officer — clam 
bered  aboard  and  took  a  seat  beside  me. 

In  the  meantime,  the  officer  who  had  first  hailed  me 


136  One  Friend  and  Another. 

lowered  his  weapon,  evidently  satisfied  that  all  was  well. 
One  of  his  crew  skillfully  threw  me  a  length  of  rope, 
and  we  were  soon  towing  behind  the  flotilla. 

"Where  did  you  come  from,  old  boy  ?"  repeated  Osaki, 
when  this  had  been  accomplished.  "I  declare,  I  thought 
you  had  been  either  killed  or  injured  in  that  first  charge. 
I  looked  through  the  temporary  field  hospitals,  but 
couldn't  find  a  sign  of  you." 

"Of  course  not,"  I  replied,  gayly.  "I  wasn't  born  to 
be  laid  out  by  a  Chinese  bullet,  I  hope.  Since  I  saw 
you  I've  been  having  a  great  time.  I've  enough  material 
for  ten  pages  of  any  ordinary  newspaper." 

"Been  keeping  your  eye  out  for  news,  eh?" 

"That's  what  I  am  here  for,"  I  replied,  promptly.  "By 
the  way,  have  you  seen  anything  of  Forbes  ?" 

"Yes;  he  is  a  passenger  in  one  of  these  boats.  I 
caught  sight  of  him  not  three  minutes  ago.  Where's 
Bunce?" 

"I'm  afraid  he's  gone  up,"  I  answered,  sorrowfully. 

"What!    He's  not  dead?" 

"Yes,  he  must  be.  I  saw  him  blown  up  by  a  shell 
back  on  the  pontoon  bridge.  It  exploded  right  at  his 
feet.  It  would  be  impossible  for  him  to  escape." 

"Poor  fellow !"  murmured  the  young  officer.  "He  was 
a  queer  duck,  but  he  meant  well,  I  am  sure.  Confound 
it!  what  a  pity  that  he  has  fallen  a  victim  to  this  war! 
Heigho!  there  has  been  many  a  brave  soul  snuffed  out 
to-night." 

"Yes,  and  none  with  a  better  heart  than  Jack  Bunce. 
He  and  Forbes  had  a  row  back  there  under  the  ramparts 


One  Friend  and  Another.  137 

of  the  southernmost  fort.  The  Englishman  attacked 
him,  but  Jack  disarmed  the  fellow  in  a  twinkling,  and 
then  told  him  to  keep  his  temper  hereafter." 

After  a  while  I  described  to  Osaki  all  that  had  oc 
curred  since  we  were  separated  in  the  charge.  Then  he 
informed  me  that  the  flotilla  was  composed  of  five  com 
panies  from  one  of  General  Oshima's  regiments,  and  that 
it  was  on  its  way  to  attack  a  series  of  earthworks  south 
of  the  city. 

While  conversing  I  noticed  a  gradual  fading  away  of 
the  darkness,  and  presently  it  became  light  enough  to 
see  for  some  distance.  The  rain,  which  at  first  had  been 
merely  a  slight  drizzle,  now  began  to  pour  down  in  a 
steady  stream. 

We  were  already  soaked  to  the  skin,  so  it  added  little 
to  our  .discomfort.  I  noticed  that  the  Japanese  troops 
were  well  provided  with  heavy  uniforms,  and  that  their 
equipments  were  of  the  best,  and  my  respect  for  that  gov 
ernment,  which  we  at  home  had  long  considered  bar 
barous,  went  up  a  very  decided  step. 

I  think  Osaki  must  have  divined  my  thoughts,  as  he 
smiled,  and  asked,  rather  proudly: 

"They  don't  look  like  the  half-naked  savages  some  of 
your  people  think  them,  do  they  ?" 

"Not  by  any  means,"  I  replied,  warmly.  "I  tell  you 
now,  I  intend  to  give  a  few  truths  about  the  Japanese  in 
my  dispatches  home.  In  my  own  poor  way  I  will  en 
lighten  a  good  many  Americans  before  very  long.  But 
say,  what  in  the  deuce  does  that  mean?" 

I  pointed  toward  a  couple  of  fortresses  some  distance 


138  One  Friend  and  Another. 

behind  us,  on  the  walls  of  which  had  suddenly  appeared 
a  number  of  curious  round  objects,  for  all  the  world  like 
huge  turtles. 

The  young  officer  laughed  heartily. 

"It  is  plain  to  be  seen  that  you  have  had  little  ex 
perience  with  Chinese  armies,"  he  replied. 

"But  what  are  they?"  I  persisted.  "Some  kind  of  an 
infernal  bomb  ?" 

"No;  those  are  oiled  paper  umbrellas." 

"Umbrellas?"  I  echoed,  in  amazement.  "You  don't 
mean  to  say — ha!  ha! — that  the  enemy  is  afraid  of  get 
ting  wet?" 

"It's  a  fact.  If  you  were  in  one  of  'the  forts  you  would 
find  an  umbrella-carrier  for  every  five  soldiers.  That's 
nothing.  Why,  at  our  first  battle,  down  near  Seoul,  the 
Chinese  commander  sent  us  a  flag  of  truce,  asking  if  we 
would  not  postpone  the  fight  until  the  following  day,  as 
it  was  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Confucius'  thir 
teenth  body-servant." 

"Did  you  do  it?" 

"No;  but  we  sent  him  to  join  the  long  lamented  as  a 
sort  of  recompense." 

For  the  next  ten  minutes  I  was  lost  in  contemplation 
of  the  very  curious  customs  of  the  Celestials,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  we  reached  the  river  bank.  During  the 
disembarkation  I  kept  Osaki  in  sight,  and  at  last  rejoined 
him  on  the  march. 

"Do  you  know  anything  of  the  battle  ?"  I  asked,  bear 
ing  in  mind  my  dispatches.  "Have  you  heard  anything 
from  the  other  attacking  columns?" 


One  Friend  and  Another.  139 

"I'll  tell  you  if  you  won't  stop  right  here  to  jot  it 
down,"  he  replied,  with  a  grin. 

"I'll  agree  to  that  if  you  don't  startle  me  with  some 
very  important  information,"  I  bargained  in  return. 
"Now,  how  is  the  fight  going?" 

"All  in  our  favor.  A  courier  from  General  Tatsumi, 
who  has  the  column  of  the  north,  reports  that  a  masked 
fort  fronting  the  citadel  has  been  taken  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet,  and  that  he  expects  to  besiege  the  castle 
itself  before  many  hours." 

"That's  certainly  encouraging." 

"Then  General  Oshima — who,  by  the  way,  you  must 
laud  for  his  extreme  bravery — received  word  from  Gen 
eral  Nodzu  that  he  is  in  possession  of  five  earthworks  on 
the  western  front  of  the  city.  He  also  asked  that  as 
many  companies  of  infantry  as  could  be  spared  be  sent 
to  assist  him  in  an  attack  on  the  southern  forts.  That  is 
why  we  are  here." 

"It  seems,  then,  that  the  battle  has  hardly  commenced." 

"That's  true.  The  hardest  fighting  is  yet  to  come. 
What  a  pity  poor  Jack  Bunce  lost  his  life  just  as  the  fun 
became  furious!  We  are  liable  to  have  warm  work  in 
the  valley  ahead  of  us,  as  that  is  where  the  Chinese  cav 
alry  will  charge  if  they  muster  enough  courage  to  leave 
the  city.  It  will — ah!  that's  the  call  for  double  time. 
Come  on,  Bennett,  there's  trouble  in  front!" 


CHAPTER   XX. 

IN   WHICH   DANGER  AGAIN   THREATENS. 

We  were  ahnost  in  the  center  of  the  column,  which 
was  marching  by  fours.  From  a  short  distance  in  front 
came  a  sharp,  peremptory  bugle  call.  Word  was  passed 
along  the  line,  and  a  moment  later  we  were  hastening  at 
double  time  through  a  valley  leading  from  the  water's 
edge. 

I  soon  learned  the  cause  of  the  commotion.  Reach 
ing  a  bend  in  the  ravine,  I  looked  ahead  and  saw  the  out 
lines  of  a  series  of  forts  which  had  been  erected  in  a  hap 
hazard  manner,  about  a  thousand  yards  from  the  walls 
of  Ping  An. 

Our  appearance  was  greeted  by  a  tremendous  fire  from 
small  arms  and  rapid-fire  guns.  We  were  deployed  in 
the  very  midst  of  the  leaden  hail,  and  then  sent  helter- 
skelter  upon  the  nearest  earthwork. 

Suddenly  the  company  in  front  halted,  in  confusion. 
We,  behind,  were  carried  upon  them  by  the  rush,  and 
for  a  brief  moment  the  erstwhile  well-drilled  troops 
scrambled  about  like  a  regiment  of  raw  recruits. 

While  darting  forward,  Osaki  and  I  came  upon  the 
brink  of  an  extensive  moat,  filled  with  water.  It  was  so 
entirely  unexpected  that  both  of  us  slipped  in  up  to  our 
armpits. 


Danger  Again  Threatens.  141 

For  a  while  I  thought  that  all  was  lost,  as  a  number 
of  the  enemy  showed  upon  the  rampart  directly  over 
head.  A  soldier  leveled  his  Spencer  rifle  and  fired,  but 
the  bullet  passed  between  us.  It  was  a  hint  not  to  be 
disregarded,  and  we  scrambled  from  the  moat  at  a  lively 
rate. 

"Confound  it!  I  dropped  my  sword  in  there,"  ex 
claimed  the  young  officer,  ruefully.  "It  was  a  good  blade, 
and  well  tried." 

"Plenty  more  to  be  had/'  I  replied.  "Look!  there 
comes  a  lot  of  reinforcements." 

"They're  from  General  Nodzu's  command.  Now  we 
will  attack  these  strongholds  from  both  sides,  I  suppose. 
Come  on." 

Osaki  moved  away  toward  a  point  near  a  drawbridge, 
where  our  forces  and  the  newcomers  were  concentrating 
for  an  attack.  A  withering  fire  from  the  different  earth 
works  made  things  lively. 

The  firing  of  the  Chinese  was  desultory  and  badly 
aimed,  with  the  exception  of  a  partially  masked  battery 
toward  the  right,  where  a  couple  of  Catlings  kept  the  air 
hot  with  a  constant  stream  of  bullets. 

The  attention  of  the  majority  of  the  officers  was  given 
to  the  large  fortresses,  and,  for  a  while,  nothing  was  done 
to  stop  the  deadly  work  of  the  machine-gun  battery. 

Finally  a  messenger  from  the  colonel  in  command  hur 
ried  up  to  Osaki's  captain  and  ordered  him  to  charge  the 
hornets'  nest. 

"Whoop!"  yelled  the  young  officer.  "Here's  a  chairs 
to  show  What  Japanese  soldiers  can  do.  Bennett,  we 


142  Danger  Again  Threatens. 

mustn't  lose  this  opportunity.  Secure  a  gun  with  a 
bayonet  and  do  your  best.  It'll  furnish  you  material  for 
a  dozen  dispatches." 

A  moment  later  we  had  formed,  and  were  running  full 
tilt  across  a  stretch  of  level  plain.  Deploying  within  a 
hundred  feet  of  the  battery,  we  moved  swiftly  upon  the 
lower  angle,  and  fellttooth  and  nail  upon  the  guns. 

A  brisk  scrimmage  of  five  minutes'  duration  resulted  in 
the  capture  of  the  Catling  battery.  At  almost  the  same 
time  a  loud  cheer  from  the  outer  fort  proclaimed  that  it 
also  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  victorious  Japs. 

"They  will  soon  have  possession  of  the  whole  southern 
series  of  earthworks,"  remarked  Osaki,  as  we  paused  to 
take  a  brief  rest.  "This  is  a  great  day  for  civilization, 
old  boy.  I  am  sure  this  battle  will  mark  the  end  of 
Chinese  influence  in  Corea." 

"Such  is  the  history  of  the  world,"  I  replied,  musingly. 
"The  progress  of  civilization  has  been  marked  with  the 
sword  in  all  climes.  Death  and  destruction,  fire  and  blood 
must  always  be  the  means  by  which  barbarism  is  exter 
minated,  it  seems.  Look  at  this  battlefield!  See  the 
heaps  of  wounded  and  dying  wretches!  Think  of  the 
homes  made  desolate,  the  children  rendered  orphans,  and 
the  misery  created  by  this  one  day's  work." 

"True ;  but  it  will  be  well  to  leave  such  philosophizing 
until  some  other  time,"  said  the  young  officer,  dryly. 
"Heigho!  the  row  seems  to  be  about  over  in  this  place; 
suppose  we  move  farther  north  ?" 

"Right  you  are,"  I  promptly  replied.    "I  want  to  see 


Danger  Again  Threatens.  143 

something  of  the  city  front  and  that  citadel  they  are  storm- 
ing." 

"So  do  I.  From  all  appearances  the  last  stand  of  the 
enemy  will  be  made  there,  and  it  will  certainly  be  a  most 
desperate  battle.  By  skirting  this  series  of  forts  we  can 
reach  a  road  leading  along  the  western  side  of  Ping  An." 

Leaving  the  Japanese  soldiers  still  hotly  attacking  the 
earthworks,  we  hurried  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
young  officer.  The  rain  was  falling  steadily,  and  the 
constant  downpour  had  turned  the  spongy  soil  into  a 
veritable  quagmire. 

Overhead  the  sky  had  darkened,  not  a  glimpse  of  the 
sun  being  visible.  The  incessant  booming  of  cannon  still 
came  to  our  ears.,  but  mainly  from  one  direction — the 
north. 

"I  suppose  General  Oshima  has  silenced  the  fortresses 
on  his  side  of  the  river,"  remarked  Osaki. 

"Or  else  the  Chinese  forces  have  repulsed  him,"  I  re 
plied,  doubtfully. 

"Never.  That  is  impossible.  Oshima  is  too  able  a 
tactician  for  that.  No;  he  has  captured  them.  Just  be 
fore  we  left,  he  led  a  charge  in  person,  and  the  way  our 
boys  followed  him  was  wonderful.  But,  by  the  way,  I 
wonder  what  has  become  of  the  young  Englishman  ?" 

"Forbes?" 

"Yes.  I  saw  him  in  the  flotilla,  but  not  since  we 
landed.  I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  had  fallen  in  that 
first  attack." 

"Possibly.  I  hope  not,  though.  He  is  rather  a  good 
fellow,  despite  his  English  affectation." 


144  Danger  Again  Threatens. 

"Well,  I  confess  I  didn't  like  him,  but  I  wouldn't  care 
to  see  the  fellow  meet  his  death  out  here.  Funny  thing, 
his  being  a  correspondent.  I  would  never  think  it  from 
his  appearance." 

"You  can't  always  tell,"  I  said,  with  a  smile.  "Look 
at  me,  for  instance.  Your  speaking  of  correspondents 
reminds  me  that  I  must  get  a  dispatch  to  either  Shanghai 
or  Yokohama  before  Forbes  does,  if  he  is  alive.  The 
Consolidated  Press  Association  would  never  forgive  me 
if  the  Britishers  first  received  the  news  of  this  important 
battle." 

"How  will  you  work  it?  Do  you  intend  to  adopt  my 
plan  of  purchasing  a  coaster  in  one  of  the  adjacent 
ports?" 

"There  is  no  other  way.  I  meant  to  employ  poor  old 
Jack  Bunce  as  a  special  courier,  and  intrust  the  dis 
patches  to  him,  but  that  scheme  is  settled  now.  Con 
found  it!  what  a  pity  he  was  killed  by  that  shell.  He 
was  too  good  a  companion  to  lose." 

Osaki  heartily  agreed  with  me  in  the  latter  assertion. 
We  stumbled  along  in  silence  for  a  while,  trying  in  vain 
to  shield  ourselves  from  the  drenching  rain. 

I  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  woebegone  appearance 
we  presented.  The  young  officer  had  managed  to  retain 
the  greater  part  of  his  uniform,  but  he  had  lost  his  cap, 
and  wore  instead  a  curiously  shaped  Chinese  bonnet. 

I  still  clung  to  my  fashionable  topboots  and  a  pair  of 
elegant  curduroy  trousers,  but  above  these  I  was  a  comi 
cal  mixture  of  Jap  and  Celestial.  To  heighten  the  picture 
we  were  bespattered  with  dirt  and  blood. 


Danger  Again  Threatens.  145 

For  the  first  time  since  the  preceding  afternoon,  I  be 
gan  to  feel  the  pangs  of  hunger.  Of  late,  our  meals 
had  been  very  irregular,  and  of  uncertain  description,  but 
we  managed  to  make  out  with  the  cold  rice  and  corn 
cakes. 

Now  it  struck  me  that  a  rousing  good  dinner  at  a  New 
York  restaurant  would  be  thoroughly  acceptable.  The 
very  thought  caused  me  to  groan  in  anguish  of  spirit. 
Osaki  immediately  inquired  the  cause  of  my  melancholy 
face,  and  I  explained,  tersely. 

"Hungry,  eh?"  he  replied,  with  an  unconsoling 
chuckle.  "Humph !  you  won't  get  anything  to  eat  this 
day,  my  boy.  However,  if  all  goes  well,  we'll  feast  upon 
the  fleshpots  of  Ping  An  before  many  hours.  Possibly 
by  to-morrow  afternoon." 

"Mother  of  Moses !"  I  exclaimed,  with  more  force  than 
elegance.  "To-morrow  afternoon  ?  Why,  I'll  be  a  living 
skeleton  long  before  that  time.  Can't  we " 

I  suddenly  ceased  speaking,  checked  by  a  warning  sig 
nal  from  my  companion,  who  was  slightly  in  advance. 
Hurrying  to  his  side,  I  glanced  in  the  direction  indicated 
by  his  finger,  and  saw  the  figure  of  a  man  seated  behind 
a  bush. 

From  where  we  crouched,  only  the  lower  part  of  his 
body  was  visible,  but  from  a  pair  of  unmistakably  Euro 
pean  boots  we  knew  that  it  could  not  be  either  a  China 
man  or  Japanese. 

Filled  with  the  liveliest  curiosity,  we  stole  forward 
several  paces,  and  then  stopped  at  a  spot  where  a  full 
view  could  be  obtained  of  the  mysterious  person.  We 


146  Danger  Again  Threatens. 

recognized  him  at  once.  It  was  none  other  than  the 
young  English  correspondent. 

He  was  stretched  out  in  a  little  nook  formed  by  the 
overlapping  tops  of  several  bushes.  Before  him,  upon 
the  ground,  were  several  pieces  of  Japanese  commissary 
bread  and  an  open  can  of  preserved  meat.  Alongside  of 
these  was  a  notebook  propped  against  a  small  rock. 

"Great  Jove!  what  a  feast,"  muttered  Osaki,  greedily. 
"Can  we  stand  this,  Bennett?" 

"Not  much,"  I  promptly  replied,  in  the  same  tone. 
"Let's  scare  him  away  and  capture  the  provender.  What 
do  you  say?" 

The  young  officer  chuckled  with  glee. 

"Just  the  thing,"  he  agreed.  "Really,  it  will  taste  bet 
ter  if  we  can  secure  it  in  that  manner.  Yum,  yum !  look 
at  that  can  of  meat!  Where  on  earth  did  he  get  it,  I 
wonder?  Our  commissary  is  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  I  know." 

"That  is  not  the  question,"  I  said,  hastily.  "Forbes  has 
the  food,  as  you  can  see.  When  I  give  the  word,  yell  like 
a  wildcat.  Then,  if  he  runs,  111  snatch  up  the  meat  and 
bread.  After  we  eat  we  can  renew  his  acquaintance." 

"But  if  he  don't  run?"  questioned  Osaki,  dubiously. 

"Then  we'll  have  to  ask  him  to  share,  that's  all.  Are 
you  ready?  Whoop!" 

The  howl  that  followed  was  startling  enough  to  scare 
an  Indian.  Forbes  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  stood  for  a 
moment  on  the  defensive.  Then  he  snatched  up  his  note 
book  and  leaped  behind  the  nearest  bush. 

Laughing  heartily,  I  ran  forward,  and  was  just  on  the 


Danger  Again  Threatens.  147 

point  of  securing  the  spoils,  when  a  most  peculiar  sound 
became  apparent.  A  second  later,  I  recognized  it  as  the 
fierce  hoofbeats  of  a  cavalry  charge. 

A  cry  of  warning  came  from  the  young  officer. 

"Back !"  he  shouted,  staring  toward  the  nearby  road 
with  startled  eyes.  "Run  for  your  life,  Bennett.  The 
enemy's  light  horse  are  coming  this  way  in  force !" 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

IN    WHICH    I    HAVE    AN    UNPLEASANT    EXPERIENCE, 

Dropping  the  can  of  meat,  I  ran  after  Osaki,  who  had 
started  back  in  the  direction  of  the  forts.  Reaching  an 
open  space,  I  looked  toward  the  north,  and  halted,  in 
amazement. 

Coming  down  over  a  stretch  of  level  plain  was  a  large 
body  of  cavalry.  There  were  fully  three  hundred  gaud 
ily-clad  Chinese  troopers  mounted  on  snow-white  horses. 

At  their  head  galloped  a  stalwart  Celestial  general, 
armed  with  a  long,  wicked-looking  sword,  and  behind 
him  streamed  the  various  groups  of  lance-bearers.  This 
much  I  saw,  then  I  resumed  my  flight. 

At  that  moment  the  troop  changed  its  course,  and 
swept  directly  toward  me.  I  heard  an  exclamation  of 
consternation,  and  Forbes  started  up  almost  at  my  feet. 

"We  are  lost !"  he  cried,  too  excited  to  express  wonder 
at  meeting  me.  "We  can  never  escape  from  that  mob." 

I  did  not  reply.  No  answer  was  necessary.  He  spoke 
truly.  The  three  hundred  troopers  were  too  near  for  us 
to  dodge  them.  Suddenly  a  battery  of  artillery  stationed 
on  an  adjacent  eminence  opened  fire.  A  half-dozen  shells 
struck  the  living  mass  of  horsemen,  and  created  frightful 
havoc  among  them. 

Then,   instantly    following,   came  volley   after   volley 


An  Unpleasant  Experience.  149 

from  General  Nodzu's  infantry,  concealed  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road.  Horses  and  riders  went  down  together, 
and  were  piled  up  in  little  mounds  on  the  plain. 

This  caused  the  main  body  to  swerve  to  one  side,  and 
they  passed  the  spot  where  Forbes  and  I  were  crouched, 
like  a  whirlwind.  It  was  a  most  inspiring  scene,  and  one 
that  will  linger  in  my  mind.  At  the  moment  I  thought 
only  of  our  extreme  danger. 

We  were  exposed  to  the  death-dealing  volleys  from 
the  Japanese  sharpshooters  on  one  hand,  and  the  riders 
themselves  on  the  other.  At  last  a  band  of  horsemen,  at 
least  fifty  in  number,  turned  sharply  and  rode  directly 
toward  us. 

All  this  time  we  had  been  hemmed  in  so  completely 
that  in  no  direction  could  I  see  a  chance  to  escape.  The 
sudden  fire  from  the  concealed  Japanese  forces  had  given 
us  a  temporary  hope,  but  now  it  seemed  as  if  that  very 
circumstance  would  cause  our  destruction. 

With  batteries  in  front  of  them,  and  infantry  on  one 
side,  nothing  remained  for  the  harassed  cavalry  but  a 
desperate  charge  in  the  remaining  direction.  And  that 
was  toward  the  young  Englishman  and  myself. 

"Look  out !  they  are  almost  upon  us !"  I  shouted,  as  a 
last  warning. 

A  brief  moment  later  the  desperate  troop  swept  over  us, 
riding  like  fiends.  As  if  in  a  dream,  I  saw  Forbes  go 
down  before  a  couple  of  cavalrymen  huddled  together; 
then  as  a  drowning  man  will  clutch  at  a  straw,  I  threw 
out  my  hands. 

I  touched  something,  closed  my  fingers  upon  it  with  a 


150  An  Unpleasant  Experience. 

grip  as  tenacious  as  death  itself,  and  then  suddenly  felt 
myself  jerked  upward  with  a  force  that  wrenched  my 
arms  almost  from  their  sockets. 

It  did  not  take  me  long  to  realize  that  I  was  dangling — 
literally  dangling  from  the  reins  of  a  riderless  horse. 
The  formidable  leaps  of  the  frightened  brute  caused  me 
to  sway  back  and  forth  like  a  pendulum,  but,  presently,  I 
managed,  with  incredible  agility,  to  gain  the  saddle. 

Hardly  believing  in  my  good  fortune,  I  clung  to  the 
animal's  mane,  and  thus  rode  in  the  very  center  of  the 
fleeing  mob  through  the  torrent  of  bullets  and  shells 
hurled  from  the  Japanese  ambuscades. 

I  was  just  beginning  to  appreciate  my  narrow  escape, 
when  the  horse  I  rode  suddenly  stumbled,  throwing  me 
to  the  ground  with  a  violence  that  instantly  brought  the 
darkness  of  oblivion. 

I  awakened  to  the  sound  of  voices  engaged  in  an  ani 
mated  dispute.  Dreamily  opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  the 
interlacing  branches  of  several  trees  overhead.  From 
far  in  the  distance  came  a  dull  booming  of  cannon. 

The  noise  brought  a  realization  of  my  situation,  and  I 
struggled  to  a  sitting  position.  Standing,  with  their 
backs  toward  me,  several  yards  away,  were  Osaki  and 
Forbes. 

The  latter  had  one  arm  in  a  sling,  and  wore  a  rude 
bandage  tied  around  the  upper  part  of  his  face,  which 
was  pale  and  streaked  with  blood.  His  clothing  was  torn 
and  bespattered  with  mud.  The  young  officer  had  es 
caped  uninjured,  from  all  appearances. 


An  Unpleasant  Experience.  151 

When  I  raised  myself  up,  and  glanced  toward  them,  I 
noticed  that  Osaki  was  gesticulating  violently. 

"I  tell  you,  the  poor  fellow  is  still  breathing,"  he  ex 
claimed,  "and  we  must  secure  the  services  of  a  surgeon 
at  once.  Confound  it!  we  have  delayed  too  long  al 
ready." 

"Well,  it  won't  do  any  harm  to  try,"  replied  the  young 
Englishman ;  "but  I  am  afraid  he  is  a  goner.  I  have  had 
enough  hospital  practice  to  know  a  dead  man  when  I  see 
him,  and  I'll  bet  a  fi'-pun  note  that  he'll  never  open  hfs 
eyes  to  daylight  again." 

"I'll  take  the  wager,"  I  called  out,  weakly.  "I'm  look 
ing  af  daylight  now." 

Osaki  wheeled  around  and  ran  toward  me  with  a  shout 
of  joy.  Grasping  both  o.f  my  hands,  he  shook  them  vig 
orously. 

"The  Lord  be  praised!"  he  exclaimed,  fervently. 
"You  are  still  living,  glory  to  goodness!  I  knew  you 
would  come  out  all  right,  despite  Forbes'  opinion.  You 
have  had  a  mighty  close  call,  old  fellow." 

The  young  correspondent,  who  had  advanced  more 
slowly,  also  expressed  his  pleasure  in  unstinted  terms. 

"I  confess  that  I  had  given  you  up,  Bennett,"  he  said, 
finally.  "That  was  a  nasty  cropper  you  took  from  that 
cavalry  horse — quite  hard  enough  to  kill  almost  any  one." 

"Yes ;  but  luckily,  I  fell  upon  my  head,"  I  smiled,  ris 
ing  to  my  feet  with  Osaki's  aid.  "I  am  still  a  little  dizzy, 
but  it'll  soon  wear  away.  How  did  you  manage  to  es 
cape,  Forbes?  When  I  saw  you  last  you  were  just  fall 
ing  before  a  couple  of  Chinese  cavalrymen." 


152  An  Unpleasant  Experience. 

"I  don't  know  how  I  happened  to  pull  through  with  my 
life,"  replied  the  young  Englishman,  gravely.  "I  remem 
ber  stumbling  between  the  hoofs  of  a  horse,  then  a  few 
moments  later  I  found  myself  alone,  and  comparatively 
uninjured.  I  am  a  bit  cut  about  the  head  and  this  arm, 
but  that's  all." 

"You  both  can  thank  your  lucky  stars,"  spoke  up 
Osaki.  "There  isn't  any  doubt  about  that." 

"What  time  is  it?"  I  asked,  glancing  at  the  sky.  "How 
long  have  I  been  insensible?" 

"At  least  an  hour,"  replied  the  young  officer.  "We 
have  been  in  this  little  glade  for  thirty  minutes,  and  it 
was  equally  as  long  before  I  found  you  lying  unconscious 
after  the  cavalry  charge." 

"Did  the  Chinese  escape?"    . 

"They  were  killed  to  a  man.  Since  then  three  hundred 
more  have  tried  the  game  with  the  same  result.  How 
long  will  it  be  before  you  are  again  ready  for  action,  Ben 
nett?" 

"About  two  minutes,"  I  replied,  promptly,  carefully 
feeling  my  limbs.  "I  am  a  bit  bruised  about  the  body, 
and  my  head  aches,  but  that'll  soon  wear  away.  If  I 
had  a  mouthful  of  food  and  a  little  water,  I'd  be  all 
right." 

"I  left  some  meat  and  bread  back  there,"  spoke  up 
Forbes.  "If  you  will  wait  a  moment  I'll  see  if  I  can 
find  it." 

"Never  mind,"  said  Osaki,  looking  guilty.  "I  have 
some  here  that'll  answer." 

He  winked  at  me,  and  produced  the  can  and  crackers 


An  Unpleasant  Experience.  153 

we  had  been  on  the  point  of  foraging  from  the  English 
man  before  the  cavalry  charge.  The  food  was  divided 
into  three  equal  parts,  and  eaten  to  the  last  scrap.  Even 
after  such  an  apology  for  a  meal  I  felt  considerably 
better. 

When  we  were  finally  ready  to  start  northward  the  rain 
had  ceased.  The  clouds  presently  disappeared  .and  we 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  sun.  Its  position  indicated  that 
the  day  was  waning  rapidly. 

After  striking  the  main  road  leading  past  the  city,  we 
saw  indisputable  signs  of  a  Chinese  defeat.  The  ram 
parts  to  the  west  were  entirely  deserted.  In  only  one 
direction  could  the  sounds  of  battle  be  heard,  and  that 
was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  citadel. 

"It's  only  a  question  of  an  hour  or  so,"  said  Osaki, 
joyfully.  "By  dark  the  entire  place  will  be  in  our  hands. 
Hurrah!  what  a  glorious  victory  this  will  be  for  Japan. 
Now  she  will  be  able  to  rear  her  head  proudly  among  the 
civilized  nations  of  the  world,  and  proclaim  herself  the 
greatest  power  in  the  West." 

I  saw  Forbes  prick  up  his  ears.  He  cast  a  sly  glance 
at  me,  and  then  nervously  fumbled  in  his  blouse.  The 
action  reminded  me  of  my  own  duties  as  a  correspondent, 
and  I  fervently  wished  for  an  opportunity  to  send  off 
even  a  brief  dispatch. 

A  few  moments  later  a  loud  clattering  in  the  road 
ahead  indicated  that  some  one  was  approaching  on  horse 
back. 

We  slipped  behind  a  neighboring  bush  and  waited. 
Presently  three  uniformed  Japanese  officers  appeared  and 


154  An  Unpleasant  Experience. 

rode  rapidly  toward  us.     Suddenly,  Osaki  clutched  me 
by  the  arm,  and  whispered,  excitedly : 

"Jove!  it  is  an  official  courier  from  the  general.  Stay 
where  you  are  for  a  moment.  Don't  move  until  I  re 
turn.  I  have  a  great  scheme." 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN  WHICH  I  SEND  MY  FIRST  DISPATCH. 

Osaki's  words  mystified  me.  On  catching  sight  of  the 
Japanese  officers,  he  had  recognized  in  one  an  official 
courier  of  the  general  in  command  of  the  combined 
armies.  Then  he  exclaimed,  with  some  excitement : 

"Stay  where  you  are  for  a  moment.  I  have  a  great 
scheme." 

With  that  he  left  us  behind  the  bush,  and  hurried  into 
the  road.  We  watched  him  meet  the  officers,  saw  them 
rein  in  their  steeds  with  every  appearance  of  astonish 
ment,  and  then  noticed  that  he  held  an  animated  conver 
sation  with  all  three. 

Presently  he  returned  to  the  spot  where  we  were  con 
cealed.  I  observed,  as  he  neared  us,  that  his  expressive 
face  wore  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  but  I  had  not  the  least 
idea  of  what  it  portended  for  me. 

"I  say  there,  Bennett,"  he  called  out,  beckoning  to  me, 
"come  here;  I  wish  to  speak  with  you.  I  have  good 
news." 

Leaving  Forbes  looking  slightly  surprised,  I  joined  the 
young  Japanese. 

"What's  up?"  I  asked;  "more  victories?" 

"No ;  but  it  is  equally  as  good  for  you,"  hurriedly  re 
plied  Osaki.  "Get  your  dispatches  ready  at  once." 


156  I  Send  My  First  Dispatch. 

"Why— what "  I  stammered. 

"Jot  down  in  cipher  everything  you  wish  to  send  to 
Shanghai,  and  don't  lose  any  time  about  it,"  he  inter 
rupted. 

"How  are  you  going  to  send  it  ?"  I  persisted. 

"I  intend  to  take  it  myself." 

"What!     Not  to  Shanghai?" 

"No.  The  courier  is  on  his  way  to  Kiang  Tsiu,  and 
he  has  given  me  permission  to  accompany  him.  The 
wires  are  down  all  along  the  road  between  here  and  Seoul. 
There  is  a  fleet  dispatch-boat  in  Kiang,  and  messages  will 
be  sent  to  Chemulpo  by  it  at  once." 

"Do  you  think  you  can  charter  a  coaster  there?"  I 
asked,  eagerly. 

"Yes,  without  any  doubt.  Make  haste  now,  and  get 
your  cipher  ready.  The  courier — who  is  an  old  friend  of 
mine — will  wait  ten  minutes  for  me." 

"I'll  be  ready  in  that  time.  Make  some  excuse  to 
Forbes  while  I  am  gone." 

I  tarried  a  moment  to  get  the  latest  information  from 
the  young  officer,  and  then  hurried  away  to  a  safe  place 
behind  a  small  hill.  At  the  expiration  of  the  time  speci 
fied  I  had  written  a  concise  dispatch  to  the  Consolidated 
Press  Association,  giving  the  particulars  of  the  battle  of 
Ping  An. 

It  was  written  in  a  cipher  known  to  our  correspondent 
in  Shanghai,  and  did  not  occupy  more  than  twenty-five 
pages  of  my  notebook.  I  ended  by  advising  the  New 
York  office  that  I  would  forward  further  details  by  mail 
within  a  day  or  two,  and  then  rejoined  Osaki. 


I  Send  My  First   Dispatch.  157 

"Here  is  the  message  and  sufficient  money  to  charter  a 
coasting  junk,"  I  whispered,  handing  him  two  packages. 
"Now,  see  if  you  can  secure  a  trustworthy  captain,  as  a 
great  deal  depends  on  this  dispatch  getting  through. 
Don't  hesitate  about  money — pay  any  price  you  think  best, 
and  tell  the  person  you  select  that  I  will  engage  him  for 
an  indefinite  period  to  carry  messages  to  Shanghai  or 
some  Japanese  port." 

"That's  a  good  idea,"  approved  the  young  officer.  "I 
will  just  make  a  bargain  with  some  coasting  skipper,  and 
assure  him  a  generous  recompense  if  he  serves  you  faith 
fully.  You  wish  a  receipt  from  your  Shanghai  agent?" 

"Certainly.  That  will  be  proof  that  the  dispatch  has 
been  delivered.  Now,  what  about  your  return?  Where 
will  I  meet  you,  and  when  ?" 

"I  have  been  thinking  about  that,"  slowly  replied  Osaki. 
"It  won't  do  for  you  to  show  yourself  in  the  city  after  it 
is  captured,  as  you  may  be  arrested." 

This  view  of  the  case  rather  startled  me.  I  had  for 
gotten  the  orders  sent  from  Seoul  for  my  apprehension  as 
a  foreign  correspondent. 

"After  the  excitement  caused  by  this  battle  subsides," 
continued  the  young  officer,  "you  will  be  picked  up  on 
sight." 

"What  shall  I  do,  then?  Remain  in  hiding  some 
where  ?" 

"Yes.  You  and  Forbes  can  wait  for  me  on  that  hill 
across  the  river — the  place  from  where  we  first  saw 
Ping  An." 


158  I  Send  My  First   Dispatch. 

"How  long  will  it  take  you  to  go  to  Kiang  Tsiu  and 
return?" 

"I  should  be  back  by  to-morrow  evening  at  the  latest. 
Well,  I  must  leave  you,  old  fellow,  as  I  see  the  courier  is 
becoming  impatient.  Take  care  of  yourself,  and  don't  go 
prowling  round,  or  you'll  get  into  trouble.  Good-by." 

He  gave  me  a  hearty  shake  of  the  hand,  and  then  re 
joined  the  Japanese  officers.  They  moved  away  at  a  rapid 
trot,  Osaki  mounted  upon  a  spare  horse,  which  one  of 
them  had  been  leading. 

I  presently  returned  to  the  bush,  and  found  Forbes 
busily  engaged  on  his  notebook.  He  looked  up  as  I  ap 
proached,  and  ceased  writing. 

"Where  is  Osaki  ?"  he  asked,  glancing  behind  me. 

"He's  left,"  I  replied,  laconically. 

"What!    Forsaken  us?" 

"No ;  he's  not  that  kind  of  a  fellow.  He  has  gone  on 
a  secret  expedition  with  a  friend  of  his,  and  will  meet  us 
to-morrow  afternoon  on  the  top  of  that  hill  across  the 
river." 

"And  what  are  we  to  do  in  the  meantime  ?" 

"Devote  our  best  efforts  to  keeping  out  of  sight,"  I  re 
plied,  emphatically.  "Osaki  says  that  we  will  be  arrested 
just  as  soon  as  this  excitement  subsides." 

Forbes  glanced  reluctantly  toward  the  distant  city,  be 
yond  which  the  smoke  of  battle  still  hovered. 

"I'd  like  to  see  the  taking  of  the  citadel,  don't  you 
know,"  he  said.  "That  is  where  the  Chinese  will  make 
their  last  and  most  desperate  resistance.  Listen !  the  can 
nonading  is  becoming  more  fierce  every  moment." 


I  Send  My  First  Dispatch.  159 

Borne  on  a  passing  breeze  came  an  increase  in  the 
sounds  of  exploding  shells  and  the  faint  shouts  of  combat. 

In  all  other  directions  the  tumult  of  the  fray  had  die  1 
away.  It  was  as  the  young  Englishman  had  stated.  The 
last  effort  of  the  enemy  to  repel  the  invading  forces  was 
in  progress  to  the  northward  of  the  city. 

I  glanced  at  the  sky.  It  had  again  clouded  over. 
Darkness  was  coming  on  apace,  and,  under  its  friendly 
cover,  we  might  possibly  escape  unnoticed.  The  tempta 
tion  was  great,  and  I  finally  yielded. 

"I  wish  to  see  the  fun  also,"  I  said,  "but  I  wouldn't  like 
to  be  sent  back  to  Chemulpo  just  yet." 

"I  don't  think  we  run  much  risk  of  that,"  persisted 
Forbes.  "What  d'ye  say?  Shall  we  witness  the  last  of 
the  fight?" 

"Yes ;  come  on." 

Without  more  ado,  we  struck  off  toward  the  city  walls. 
The  road  wound  around  the  base  of  several  hills,  then  led 
straight  north  to  where,  in  the  distance,  we  could  see  the 
massive  citadel  looming  formidably  above  the  smoke  of 
the  Japanese  guns. 

We  made  a  short  detour  away  from  the  western  edge 
of  the  city  as  a  precaution  against  a  sudden  attack  from 
some  wandering  band  of  Chinese,  then  skirted  the  out 
lying  forts  for  some  distance. 

It  was  the  first  opportunity  I  had  found  to  observe  the 
system  of  fortifications  constructed  by  the  enemy.  Al 
though  but  little  versed  in  the  art  of  war,  yet  I  could  see 
that  the  defenses  would  have  been  almost  impregnable  in 
the  hands  of  any  other  power. 


160  I  Send  My  First   Dispatch. 

The  entire  front  of  the  city  was  walled  in  by  solid  stone 
cmbattlements,  built  on  a  sheer  precipice,  fifty  or  more 
feet  above  the  level  plain.  Three  gates,  small  and  easily 
defended,  opened  upon  sloping  walks,  ending  in  a  broad 
moat. 

Stationed  at  brief  intervals  were  round  towers,  equipped 
by  modern  guns,  and  scattered  along  the  parapets  were 
other  cannon,  both  field  and  machine.  At  the  northwest 
angle  was  a  hill  crowned  by  a  double  fortress,  and  beyond 
that  could  be  seen  the  upper  works  of  the  citadel  itself. 

As  this  was  our  objective  point,  we  hurried  toward  it 
and  concealed  ourselves  on  the  edge  of  a  wooded  valley 
several  hundred  yards  distant.  From  that  point  of  van 
tage  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  combat  raging  around 
the  citadel. 

The  latter  was  a  massive,  square  structure,  situated  on 
a  slight  eminence,  and  made  of  rough  stone.  The  walls 
seemed  to  be  of  immense  thickness,  probably  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet,  and  twice  that  in  height. 

The  parapets  were  pierced  for  guns,  a  number  of  which 
could  be  seen  in  action.  In  the  center  rose  a  fanciful 
pagoda-roofed  building,  literally  honeycombed  with  loop 
holes. 

On  all  sides  save  one  the  Japanese  forces  swarmed  like 
ants.  In  the  direction  of  the  city  two  uncaptured  forts 
still  remained,  but,  as  we  watched,  reinforcements  moved 
up  with  field  pieces  and  commenced  a  lively  bombardment. 

"An  hour  will  see  the  last  of  it,"  I  remarked.  "This 
assault  will  force  a  capitulation  before  very  long." 

"I  believe  you,"  replied  Forbes.     "Jove!  what  fighters 


I  Send  My  First   Dispatch.  161 

those  Japs  are,  to  be  sure.  Look  at  that  battery  over 
there — it  is  literally  spouting  death." 

"Yes,  and  watch  those  two  companies  of  infantry — 
those  with  the  red  plumes  in  their  caps.  Jumping  Moses ! 
what  a  charge.  Ha !  they  have  gained  the  ramparts " 

"No— yes,  you  are  right.  Hurrah!  that  part  of  the 
fort  is  captured !" 

"What  is  that  white  object  on  the  citadel?"  I  asked,  a 
moment  later.  "Is  it  a  flag?" 

"Yes,  and  I'll  wager  a  sovereign  that  it  is  a  signal  of 
truce.  The  pigtails  have  had  enough  of  it!  Gad!  I 
thought  they  were  better  fighters  than  that.  I  am  disap 
pointed." 

"Your  sympathies  are  naturally  with  them,  I  presume," 
I  remarked,  dryly. 

The  young  Englishman  flushed,  and  replied,  slowly : 

"You  are  right,  my  dear  fellow.  Why  should  I  deny 
it?  England — my  country — has  a  great  deal  at  stake  in 
this  war.  It  is  a  question  of  trade,  don't  you  know." 

"That's  a  sorry  confession,"  I  exclaimed,  warmly. 
"With  America  it  is  a  question  of  civilization.  A  ques 
tion  of  the  extermination  of  barbarism — a  question  of 
carrying  the  torch  of  liberty  to  a  race  buried  in  the  depths 
of  oppression.  Which  country  is  right?" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

IN  WHICH   WE  FIND  A  NOVEL  HIDING-PLACE. 

Forbes  took  out  his  eyeglass  and  coolly  scrutinized  me 
for  a  moment,  then,  chuckling  quietly,  he  returned  it  to 
his  pocket. 

"By  Jove!  this  is  deuced  funny,  don't  you  know,"  he 
drawled. 

"I  don't  see  anything  comical  in  it,"  I  said,  annoyed  at 
his  affected  air. 

"Ha !  ha !  Fancy  two  young  fellows  arguing  on  such  a 
subject  under  these  circumstances.  Disputing  the  moral 
rights  of  the  war  amid  the  shriek  of  shells  and  the  boom 
ing  of  cannon.  Questioning  the  standing  of  our  respect 
ive  governments,  and  dodging  rifle  bullets  at  the  same  mo 
ment.  D'ye  see  the  point?  Jove!  I  must  send  this  to 
Punch." 

"I  would  if  I  were  you,"  I  replied,  with  mild  sarcasm. 
"It  is  about  the  standard  of  Punch's  wit." 

In  the  heat  of  the  controversy  we  had  turned  our  backs 
to  the  citadel.  After  making  the  last  remark,  I  wheeled 
around  again,  and  just  in  time  to  witness  a  most  startling 
change  in  affairs. 

A  couple  of  hundred  yards  to  the  south  of  us  was  a 
round,  fortlike  structure  located  upon  a  hill.  The  Japa 
nese  were  attacking  it  on  the  opposite  side,  but,  for  some 
unexplainable  reason,  the  other  front  was  clear. 


A  Novel  Hiding-place.  163 

Suddenly  a  horde  of  Chinese  soldiers  emerged  from  a 
gate  at  the  base,  and  ran  toward  us  at  the  top  of  their 
speed.  At  the  same  moment  I  caught  sight  of  a  much 
larger  mob  of  refugees  fleeing  from  the  nearest  exit  in 
the  city  wall. 

It  did  not  take  a  second  for  me  to  see  that  we  were 
standing  directly  in  their  path.  Forbes  caught  the  danger 
of  our  situation  at  the  same  moment. 

"Jove !  we  must  get  out  of  this,"  he  cried. 

"Yes,  and  without  delay,"  I  answered,  glancing  hur 
riedly  on  all  sides.  "But  where  can  we  hide?  If  we  run 
toward  the  citadel  the  Japs  will  pick  us  up,  and  if  we 
move  toward  the  city  those  Chinamen  will  capture  us." 

"Only  one  way  remains  open,"  exclaimed  my  com 
panion.  "The  wooded  valley  behind  us.  Come  on." 

Without  further  words  we  turned  and  fled  into  the 
depths  of  the  forest.  The  sounds  of  trampling  feet  came 
from  the  rear,  and  it  urged  us  to  greater  efforts. 

Presently  I  caught  sight  of  some  white  object  gleaming 
through  the  trees.  Then  another  appeared,  and  still  an 
other.  A  moment  later  we  burst  into  an  inclosure  filled 
with  gravestones.  It  was  the  cemetery  of  Ping  An. 

In  the  center  stood  a  massive  tomb,  hoary  with  age. 
It  was  in  the  shape  of  a  squat  tower,  and  appeared  to  be 
almost  entirely  covered  with  gorgeous  carvings,  repre 
senting  epochs  in  the  history  of  Corea. 

The  base  was  surrounded  by  pillars,  supporting  a 
porchlike  extension,  and  underneath  this  were  numerous 
jars,  probably  containing  the  offerings  of  the  pious  citi 
zens  of  Ping  An. 


164  A  Novel  Hiding-place. 

Some  of  these  earthen  receptacles  were  fully  five  feet 
in  height,  and  larger  in  circumference  than  a  man's  body. 
Their  peculiar  appearance  caused  a  sudden  thought  to 
flash  into  my  mind. 

"I  say,  Forbes,  do  you  remember  that  tale  from  the 
Arabian  Nights  about  the  forty  thieves  and  the  wine 
jars?"  I  asked,  hurriedly. 

The  young  Englishman  looked  at  me  in  amazement. 

"What  in  the  deuce  is  the  matter  with  you,  my  dear 
fellow  ?"  he  replied,  anxiously.  "Going  daft  ?" 

"No— no,  confound  it!     I  have  an  idea." 

"Well,  it  affects  you  rather  peculiarly,  don't  you  know. 
Humph !  what  has  the  story  to  do  with  our  present  situa 
tion?" 

"Do  you  see  those  jars  there?" 

"Yes,  but " 

"What  is  the  matter  with  our  following  the  example  of 
the  forty  thieves  and  concealing  ourselves  inside.  Those 
beggars  wouldn't  think  of  looking  in  them." 

Forbes  gave  me  a  glance  of  genuine  admiration. 

"Oh,  you  cute  Yankee !"  he  exclaimed.  "Why,  that's  a 
deuced  fine  idea,  don't  you  know.  We'll  adopt  it  at  once." 

"Take  that  one  nearest  the  pillar,  and  I'll  utilize  the 
other,"  I  said,  running  forward. 

It  was  time.  Behind  us  the  woods  were  filled  with  flee 
ing  Chinamen.  As  yet  none  of  them  had  come  in  sight, 
but  they  were  liable  to  appear  at  any  moment.  A  pecu 
liar  rattling  noise  in  the  leaves  overhead,  followed  by  the 
distant  sound  of  musketry,  indicated  that  the  Japanese 
had  discovered  the  flight  and  were  in  hot  pursuit. 


A  Novel  Hiding-place.  165 

I  found  my  jar  filled  to  the  brim  with  stagnant,  evil- 
smelling  water.  An  exclamation  from  Forbes  proclaimed 
that  his  was  in  a  like  condition. 

"In  with  you,"  I  cried.  "This  is  no  time  for  splitting 
straws." 

"But  the  water,  don't  you  know,"  he  replied,  plaintively. 

"Dump  it." 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  I  careened  my  jar,  and, 
after  righting  it,  lowered  myself,  feet  first,  to  the  bottom, 
where  I  crouched  in  silence.  Presently  I  heard  a  series 
of  sniffs,  then  a  muffled  voice  groaned : 

"I  say,  Bennett." 

"Shut  up,  confound  it !"  I  replied,  in  annoyance.  "You 
will  be  heard." 

"Gad !  this  is  awful.  It  smells  like  a  blooming  sewer, 
don't  you  know.  I  believe  I  would  rather  be  captured." 

"And  you  will  be  very  soon  if  you  don't  keep  quiet. 
Sh-h !  they  are  entering  the  cemetery." 

Forbes  subsided.  Presently  I  heard  a  murmur  of  many 
voices,  then  an  invisible  mob  dashed  past  the  tomb,  utter 
ing  doleful  cries  of  terror.  They  had  hardly  gone  before 
another  party  hurried  up,  and  so  it  continued  for  several 
moments. 

Then  came  a  period  of  silence.  After  waiting  a  while 
as  an  added  precaution,  I  peeped  over  the  edge  of  the  jar. 
As  I  did  so,  Forbes  thrust  his  head  into  view,  and  we 
both  dodged  back,  startled  for  the  moment. 

Hearing  a  chuckle,  I  took  heart,  and  again  looked  out. 
The  young  Englishman  was  standing  bolt  upright,  coolly 
surveying  the  surroundings. 


1 66  A  Novel  Hiding-place. 

"Wonder  if  they  are  all  gone?"  he  queried. 

"No;  there  comes  another  mob,"  I  hastily  replied. 
catching  sight  of  several  figures  moving  through  the  trees. 

We  bobbed  down  once  more,  and  waited  while  the  fresh 
contingent  of  fugitives  fled  past.  This  time  the  crowd 
was  larger  than  before,  and  it  was  fully  a  half  hour  before 
silence  again  settled  down  in  the  grove. 

I  spent  the  time  thinking  over  my  unexpected  success 
in  sending  the  dispatch  to  the  Press  Association.  The 
opportunity  presented  by  my  faithful  Japanese  friend, 
Osaki,  had  came  just  in  the  nick  of  time. 

I  had  been  almost  two  weeks  at  the  seat  of  war  without 
communicating  with  my  employers.  It  was  a  most  seri 
ous  matter,  considering  that  my  presence  was  solely  for 
the  purpose  of  sending  the  latest  news  to  New  York. 

It  was  now  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  feel  that  I  had 
at  last  succeeded  in  forwarding  full  particulars  of  the 
battle  of  Ping  An  and  the  incidents  leading  up  to  it. 

When  I  reflected  that  I  had  scored  a  "beat"  against  the 
correspondent  of  the  British  Press  Association,  I  fairly 
hugged  myself  with  joy.  I  rather  pitied  poor  Forbes,  biU 
it  was  the  fortunes  of  war. 

"He  would  do  the  same  if  he  had  the  chance,"  I  mu"  • 
tered.  "Heigho!  I  wonder  if  all  those  Chinamen  hav 
left  the  valley.  I'll  take  a  peep  and Great  Greeley  !" 

There  was  ample  cause  for  the  exclamation,  for  on 
raising  my  head  I  found  myself  looking  straight  into  the 
evil  face  of  a  Chinese  soldier! 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

IN    WHICH    WE   ARE    CAPTURED    AND    CARRIED    OFF    TO    A 
MYSTERIOUS    FATE. 

My  first  instinct  was  to  dodge  from  sight  again,  but  I 
speedily  saw  that  it  would  be  useless.  The  bottom  of 
the  jar  would  not  afford  a  place  of  refuge  by  any  means. 

I  caught  a  glimpse  of  at  least  a  score  more  of  soldiers 
standing  in  front  of  the  tomb,  then  the  fellow  near  me 
made  a  significant  motion.  I  crawled  from  the  jar  in 
prompt  obedience,  seeing  that  it  was  folly  to  offer  resist 
ance. 

At  the  same  moment,  Forbes  popped  into  view,  and 
then  disappeared  like  a  "Jack  in  the  box."  One  of  the 
soldiers  uttered  a  fierce  exclamation,  and  gave  the  earthen 
receptable  a  sudden  kick,  overturning  it. 

The  young  Englishman  rolled  out,  and  was  roughly 
jerked  to  his  feet  by  his  captor.  We  were  disarmed  in  a 
twinkling,  and  dexterously  bound  together  with  a  leath 
ern  thong. 

All  this  occupied  less  than  a  minute,  but,  from  the  ex 
clamations  of  impatience  from  the  mob,  I  knew  that  it 
was  time  illy  spared  in  their  flight.  None  of  the  soldiers 
made  an  attempt  to  address  us,  but  confined  their  voices 
to  a  ceaseless  babble  that  would  have  been  comical  under 
other  circumstances. 


1 68  Captured  and  Carried  Off. 

As  we  were  moving  off,  a  Chinaman  clad  in  the  fanci 
ful  uniform  of  an  officer  in  the  Celestial  army,  came 
hurrying  up.  He  paused,  gave  us  a  quick  glance,  and 
then  addressed  an  order  in  an  undertone  to  our  guards. 

Then  ensued  a  brief  explanation,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  we  were  roughly  thrust  forward  in  the  path  of  the 
fleeing  hosts.  A  couple  of  privates  armed  with  our 
swords  proceeded  to  utilize  the  weapons  in  a  manner  most 
painful  to  us. 

The  sundry  jabs  had  an  effect,  and  we  hastened  along 
at  an  undignified  trot.  When  we  emerged  from  the 
wooded  valley,  darkness  had  fallen.  A  red  tinge  to  the 
sky  proclaimed  that  the  battle  was  still  in  progress. 

"A  deuced  fine  mess,  this !"  groaned  Forbes.  "Wonder 
what  the  beggars  mean  to  do  with  us?" 

"It's  a  mystery  to  me,"  I  replied.  "Confound  it!  why 
didn't  we  take  Osaki's  advice  and  keep  out  of  the  mis 
chief?" 

"It's  too  late  to  cry  over  spilled  milk,  don't  you  know. 
There  is  a  satisfaction  in  knowing  that  they  would  have 
killed  us  at  once  if  that  had  been  their  object." 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that.  They  may  be  saving  us 
for  a  worse  fate." 

"The  deuce.  What  makes  you  think  so,  my  dear  fel 
low  ?  This  is  not  the  western  part  of  the  country.  These 
people  are  not  Indians,  don't  you  know." 

"The  ignorant  class  of  China  are  almost  as  bad,"  I  re 
plied,  soberly.  "They  are  taught  to  hate  all  foreigners, 
and  that  feeling  has  not  been  improved  by  the  war  and 
this  last  defeat." 


Captured  and  Carried  Off.  169 

''Now,  don't  croak,  Bennett." 

"No;  but  it  is  well  to  look  the  facts  squarely  in  the 
face.  This  mob  is  fleeing  from  the  Japs,  and  from  all  ap 
pearances,  the  latter  are  in  close  pursuit.  Now,  it  don't 
seem  reasonable  that  they  would  burden  themselves  with 
a  couple  of  prisoners  without  some  good  cause,  does  it?" 

Forbes  was  silent  for  a  moment. 

"I  presume  you  are  right,  old  fellow,"  he  finally  re 
plied,  and  his  voice  trembled  slightly.  "Gad!  it's  too 
bad  to  shuffle  off  this  mortal  coil  at  the  bidding  of  a 
Chinaman." 

"Oh,  we  are  not  done  for  yet  by  a  great  deal,"  I  re 
marked,  with  an  attempt  at  cheerfulness.  "While  there 
is  life " 

"Now,  don't  add  to  my  misery  by  quoting  platitudes," 
interrupted  my  companion,  plaintively.  "The  situation 
is  certainly  bad  enough  as  it  is." 

I  was  compelled  to  laugh  at  the  coolness  of  the  fellow 
The  sound  brought  a  painful  remonstance  from  my 
guard  and  I  speedily  desisted.  During  the  next  two 
hours  we  were  fully  occupied  in  keeping  our  feet  while 
marching  across  a  series  of  paddy-fields,  and  little  con 
versation  was  attempted. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time  we  came  to  a  broad  road. 
It  was  thronged  with  fugitives  all  moving  in  the  same 
direction — away  from  Ping  An. 

Luckily  we  escaped  notice  in  the  semi-darkness,  and 
were  permitted  to  pass  without  insult.  Our  party  split 


170  Captured  and  Carried  Off. 

up  after  a  while,  leaving  only  ten  men,  who  had  evi 
dently  been  appointed  guards  by  the  Chinese  officer  we 
saw  at  the  ancient  tomb. 

The  flight  was  continued  during  the  whole  night,  and 
when  morning  dawned  we  were  ready  to  drop  with  fa 
tigue.  Shortly  before  daybreak  I  asked,  by  signs,  for  a 
drink  of  water,  but  was  rudely  refused. 

"That  about  settles  it,"  I  remarked  to  Forbes,  with  a 
sigh. 

"Settles  what?" 

"Our  fate.  If  they  intended  anything  but  death,  they 
would  show  a  little  mercy  to  us." 

"Do  you  think  they  will  torture  us?" 

"Of  course ;  otherwise  they  would  have  killed  us  near 
Ping  An." 

"Well,  we  won't  die  without  a  struggle,"  muttered  the 
young  Englishman.  "I  for  one  intend  to  give  a  good  ac 
count  of  myself  when  they  open  the  ball." 

"And  I  am  with  you,"  I  whispered.  "By  the  way, 
have  you  noticed  that  this  thong  is  loosening  a  trifle  ?" 

Forbes  gave  a  tug  at  the  lashing  when  the  guards  were 
not  looking.  Then  his  face  fell,  and  he  replied,  discon 
solately  : 

"No,  you  are  mistaken,  Bennett;  it's  tight  as  wax." 

We  had  been  bound  together  arm  to  arm,  and  our  other 
hands  fastened  to  our  sides.  While  walking  along  I  had 
felt  the  strip  of  leather  "give"  slightly,  but,  as  it  seems, 
not  enough  to  promise  freedom. 


Captured  and  Carried  Off.  171 

In  the  course  of  an  hour  a  halt  was  called  on  the  bank 
of  a  small  stream.  We  were  permitted  to  drink  our  fill 
of  the  precious  fluid,  and  then  to  rest  for  a  brief  period. 

We  were  about  to  resume  the  march  when  a  fresh  co:  - 
tingent  of  fugitives,  headed  by  several  officers,  can-.' 
running  along  the  road  from  the  south.  They  were  jadcu 
and  worn,  but  none  of  them  stopped  for  water. 

While  passing,  they  shrieked  out  a  whole  string  of  sen 
tences,  which  instantly  filled  our  guards  with  alarm.  V.'e 
were  driven  back  to  the  road  at  a  run  and  hurried  alor.g 
at  the  heels  of  the  newcomers. 

"The  Japs  are  coming,"  exclaimed  Forbes.  "Gad!  I 
hope  they  catch  up  with  us !" 

"I  don't  think  it  would  help  us  any,"  I  replied,  between 
gasps.  "These  villains  would  kill  us  at  sight  of  them. 
Whew!  this  is  tough." 

The  first  part  of  the  journey  was  luxury  compared 
with  what  we  were  now  compelled  to  undergo.  The 
news  brought  by  the  last  party  caused  our  guards  to 
travel  at  redoubled  speed.  The  swords  were  called  info 
frequent  use,  much  to  our  discomfort. 

From  the  south  came  the  dull  rattle  of  musketry.  The 
sound  spurred  the  fugitives  to  even  greater  efforts,  and 
the  erstwhile  ordinary  flight  became  a  veritable  rout. 

Encumbrances  were  thrown  aside,  and  the  broad  road 
— which  I  afterward  found  to  be  the  main  highway  be 
tween  China  and  the  Corean  capital — was  soon  strewn 
with  muskets,  spears,  superfluous  clothing  and  a  thou 
sand  and  one  odds  and  ends  of  a  military  army. 


172  Captured  and  Carried  Off. 

But  still  with  it  all  we  were  closely  guarded,  and 
driven  along  as  before.  This  implied  that  we  were  ex 
tremely  valuable  prisoners,  and  it  puzzled  me.  For  what 
fate  were  we  reserved? 

The  answer  was  not  long  in  coming. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

IN   WHICH  WE  PREPARE  TO  PLAY  A  DESPERATE  GAME, 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  day  following  our  capture  by 
the  Chinese  refugees  from  Ping  An,  a  crisis  occurred  in 
our  flight.  Both  Forbes  and  myself  were  completely  ex 
hausted  by  lack  of  food  and  the  long  march,  but  the 
young  Englishman  was  in  a  far  worse  condition  than  I. 

He  held  up  bravely  until  shortly  before  dark.  Then, 
while  stumbling  forward,  to  escape  the  painful  urging  of 
a  sword  in  the  hand  of  a  guard,  he  fell  over  a  stone  in 
the  road  and  dragged  me  to  the  ground  with  him. 

I  was  so  benumbed  with  fatigue  and  starvation  that  I 
lay  as  one  dead  by  his  side,  unheeding  the  remonstrances 
of  the  Chinese.  After  a  hurried  consultation,  which 
came  to  my  ears  as  a  droning  babble,  Forbes  was  freed 
from  his  lashing,  and  placed  upon  an  improvised 
stretcher. 

Then  two  stalwart  soldiers  picked  me  up,  and  the 
march  was  resumed,  but  at  a  slower  speed  than  before. 
The  rest  thus  gained  revived  me  before  many  moments 
had  passed. 

On  glancing  around,  I  noticed  that  our  party  had  been 
augmented  by  another,  which  included  several  officers  of 
minor  rank.  One  of  these  approached  me,  and  remarked, 
in  broken  English : 


174  A  Desperate  Game. 

"What  you,  Flenchman?'' 

"No;  I  am  an  American,"  I  replied.  "I  came  from 
New  York." 

"Melican  flom  New  Yolk,"  he  echoed,  in  evident  sur 
prise.  Then,  turning  to  our  guards,  he  added  some 
thing  in  a  high  key.  The  effect  of  his  communication 
was  rather  startling. 

Forbes'  stretcher  was  dropped  to  the  ground  with  such 
force  that  he  rolled  out  on  all  fours ;  my  attendants  re 
leased  their  hold,  and  then  the  entire  mob  engaged  in  an 
animated  discussion. 

Paying  little  heed  to  them,  I  assisted  the  young  Eng 
lishman  to  regain  his  feet,  rinding,  to  my  relief,  that  he 
had  partially  recovered.  He  still  looked  worn  out,  but 
he  was  able  to  stand  erect  without  aid. 

"What  in  the  deuce  is  up  now,  Bennett?"  he  asked, 
faintly. 

"I  don't  know,"  I  replied,  rather  anxiously.  "That 
little  fellow  dressed  in  a  subofficer's  uniform  asked  me  if 
I  was  a  Frenchman,  and  when  I  explained,  he  started 
this  racket." 

"The  beggars  have  evidently  made  some  mistake  about 
us.  They  wouldn't  have  taken  all  this  trouble  without 
they  thought " 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  Chinese  officer,  who  ap 
proached  us,  followed  by  the  guards.  Several  of  the 
latter  had  drawn  their  native  swords  in  a  menacing  man 
ner. 

"What  you?"  asked  the  Celestial  in  authority,  address 
ing  Forbes.  "You  Melican  same  as  him?" 


A  Desperate  Game.  175 

"No,  I  am  an  Englishman,"  replied  the  young  cor 
respondent.  "What  is  the  matter,  John?  What's  the 
row  with  these  fellows?" 

He  spoke  very  coolly,  much  as  one  would  ask  concern 
ing  the  state  of  the  weather.  His  total  lack  of  fear 
seemed  to  impress  the  officer.  Eying  us  narrowly  for  a 
moment,  he  explained  in  substance  that  we  had  been  mis 
taken  for  a  couple  of  young  French  engineers,  whose 
skill  in  constructing  fortifications  had  reached  the  ears  of 
the  Celestial  authorities. 

"And  for  that  reason  we  have  been  brought  here  as 
prisoners  instead  of  being  killed  near  Ping  An?"  I  said, 
quickly. 

The  Chinaman  nodded. 

"You  talkee  all  light,"  he  replied ;  then  he  added,  with 
a  careless  wave  of  his  hand : 

"We  killee  you  now.  You  no  good  to  us.  Slittee  you 
thloat  with  knife.  You  die  allee  same  as  plenty  China 
men  die  to-day." 

"The  deuce  you  say!"  broke  in  Forbes.  "Cut  our 
throats  because  we.  are  not  Frenchmen  ?  That  would  be 
foolish.  We  are  military  engineers,  and  could  give 
points  to  almost  any  one.  If  you  kill  us,  my  good  fellow, 
you  would  make  a  bad  mistake." 

I  caught  the  young  Englishman's  cue  instantly.  Our 
situation  was  desperate,  and  it  behooved  us  to  try  every 
possible  means  of  escaping.  The  threatening  attitude  of 
the  guards  showed  that  they  were  simply  waiting  the 
signal  to  fall  upon  us. 

"Engineers,     fortifications?"     I     exclaimed,     briskly. 


176  A  Desperate  Game. 

"Why,  that  is  just  in  our  line.  Where  do  you  wish  to 
throw  up  earthworks,  my  man  ?  This  part  of  the  road  is 
too  exposed,  but  that  hill  over  there  would  suit  very  well. 
Let  me  see  ?" 

The  lashings  having  been  removed  from  my  arms  when 
Forbes  fell,  I  was  free  to  act.  Producing  my  notebook, 
I  rapidly  sketched  several  lines  and  angles  with  an  air  of 
great  wisdom. 

The  young  Englishman  glanced  over  my  shoulder,  and 
pretended  to  criticise  my  work,  at  the  same  time  whisper 
ing,  approvingly: 

"That's  it,  Bennett;  pull  the  wool  over  the  beggars' 
eyes.  It  is  our  only  chance,  and  we  may  hoodwink  them 
after  all." 

"Who  is  the  general  in  command  of  your  army?"  I 
asked  the  officer,  authoritatively. 

"General  Yeh,"  replied  the  fellow,  hesitatingly. 

"Where  is  he  now?" 

"He  is  gone  ahead.  He  at  Yalu  by  dis  time.  What 
fol  you  askee  me?" 

"Take  us  to  him  at  once,"  commanded  Forbes.  "I 
know  General  Yeh.  I  met  him  in  Pekin  when  I  was 
Consulting  engineer  to  the  British  Minister.  General 
Yeh,  eh?  Wait  until  I  see  him!  Gad!  I'll  have  satis 
faction  for  this  insult!" 

I  had  been  watching  the  face  of  the  subofficer.  I  saw 
that  he  was  visibly  impressed  by  our  action  until  Forbes 
made  the  last  remark,  then  he  became  sullen,  and  made 
a  threatening  gesture.  It  was  evident  the  young  Eng- 


A  Desperate  Game.  177 

lishman  had  gone  too  far.  I  made  haste  to  placate  mat 
ters. 

"No,  it  is  not  their  fault,"  I  exclaimed,  nudging  my 
companion.  "How  could  they  tell  our  identity?  It  is  a 
great  wonder  we  were  not  killed  at  first  sight.  Only 
their  great  intelligence  saved  Us.  We  must  inform  Gen 
eral  Yeh  of  their  bravery,  and  get  them  better  positions." 

"You  are  right,"  remarked  Forbes,  heartily.  "I  have 
influence  enough  with  the  general  to  get  our  friend  a  high 
billet  in  the  army.  But  we  must  be  moving  or  those 
rascally  Japs  will  catch  us." 

Coolly  walking  over  to  the  stretcher,  he  motioned  sev 
eral  of  the  guards  to  lift  it  from  the  ground.  They 
obeyed  mechanically,  and  he  resumed  his  former  position. 

I  had  hard  work  to  keep  from  smiling.  Retaining  a 
grave  face,  however,  I  drew  the  subofficer  aside  and 
said,  impressively: 

"You  will  do  well  to  take  us  to  General  Yeh  at  once.  I 
understand  that  he  intends  to  rally  the  army  on  the  op 
posite  bank  of  the  Yalu  River.  In  that  case  he  will 
throw  up  a  number  of  earthworks,  and  will  be  glad  of 
our  services." 

It  was  a  chance  shot  on  my  part,  but  I  fortunately  hit 
the  mark.  As  it  happened,  I  had  really  stumbled  on  the 
Chinese  general's  new  plans,  which  was  known  to  our 
guards. 

"If  we  takee  you  to  Yalu  you  speakee  to  Genelal  Yeh 
fol  us  ?"  slowly  asked  the  Chinaman. 

"Certainly ;  and  I  can  assure  you  that  our  word  will  go 


178  A  Desperate  Game. 

a  great  way  with  those  in  authority.  If  not,  you  will 
still  have  us  in  your  power." 

The  last  argument  settled  the  matter.  Bidding  several 
of  his  companions  construct  another  stretcher,  the  fellow 
soon  had  the  party  on  the  march  once  more,  but  this  time 
we  were  treated  with  honor  instead  of  as  prisoners. 

It  was  comical  to  see  the  way  in  which  Forbes  "lorded*7 
it  over  his  bearers.  Stretched  out  at  full  length,  he  calmly 
surveyed  the  surrounding  scenery,  and  took  his  ease  with 
the  air  of  a  high  mandarin. 

I  followed  his  example,  going  so  far  as  to  compel  one 
of  the  soldiers  to  bring  me  water  from  a  neighboring 
stream.  After  a  while  I  beckoned  to  the  English-speak 
ing  subofficer. 

"Where  did  you  learn  the  language?"  I  asked,  curi 
ously.  "Have  you  been  to  America?" 

"I  in  Melica  thlee  yea's.  I  washee-washee  allee  time. 
Make  plenty  money,  come  back  China.  When  Japan 
make  fight,  high  man  takee  my  money,  make  me  come 
fight." 

"You  didn't  care  to  join  the  army,  then?" 

The  Chinaman  looked  at  me  in  disgust.  .  That  any 
sane  man  would  go  to  war  of  his  own  free  will  was  be 
yond  his  comprehension.  He  did  not  even  consider  the 
question  worthy  of  an  answer,  and  stalked  to  the  rear  as 
if  further  conversation  with  me  was  words  thrown  away. 

Motioning  my  carriers  to  trot  alongside  the  young 
Englishman's  stretcher,  I  exchanged  views  with  him  un 
til  a  halt  was  called  to  enable  the  men  to  rest.  We  were 


A  Desperate  Game.  179 

now  alone  in  the  road,  the  bulk  of  the  fugitives  having 
disappeared  in  the  distance. 

Fear  of  the  Japanese  pursuers  caused  the  guards  to 
resume  before  many  minutes  had  expired.  From  then 
until  nightfall,  nothing  of  interest  occurred. 

Shortly  after  dark,  the  subofficer — whom  Forbes  had 
named  "Ghun  Sling,"  after  his  favorite  laundryman — 
left  us,  taking  three  soldiers  with  him.  Presently  he  re 
turned  with  a  pot  of  rice  and  vegetables.  This  he  di 
vided  impartially  among  all. 

After  partaking  of  this,  our  first  meal  that  day,  we  set 
out  once  more  and  traveled  throughout  the  night.  The 
following  day  at  sunrise  found  us  within  sight  of  the 
broad  Yalu  River. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

IN  WHICH  WE  ARE  RECEIVED  WITH  UNDUE  WARMTH. 

"Jove !  the  beggars  are  going  to  make  a  stand  here  for 
certain,"  was  Forbes'  first  remark  after  we  had  reached 
the  river  bank.  "There  must  be  twenty  thousand  pigtails 
in  that  camp." 

He  pointed  toward  a  stretch  of  level  plain  opposite  to 
where  we  were  standing.  It  was  fairly  teeming  with  a 
multitude  of  soldiers,  who,  from  all  appearances,  were 
rapidly  constructing  earthworks  and  more  pretentious 
forts. 

The  location  seemed  well  calculated  for  defense,  as  it 
commanded  the  river  approaches,  including  the  ford  at  the 
crossing  of  the  main  highway.  The  stream  was  quite 
broad,  and  seemed  to  move  with  a  rapid  current.  Not  a 
boat  of  any  kind  was  visible. 

"We  will  have  to  wade,  I  suppose,"  I  remarked,  eying 
the  water  askance. 

"No,  the  soldiers  will  do  that  for  us,"  cheerfully  replied 
the  young  Englishman.  "But  what  stumps  me  is  the  re 
ception  we  will  meet  with.  This  General  Yeh  will  prob 
ably  order  us  decapitated  at  once." 

"You  speak  as  if  you  merely  expected  a  'hair-cut/  "  I 
replied,  resentfully. 

"If  we  do  manage  to  escape,  it  will  be  a  close  shave," 


We  are  Received.  181 

chuckled  Forbes.  "All  joking  aside,  my  dear  fellow,  we 
are  in  a  bad  box,  don't  you  know.  I  don't  know  this 
General  Yeh  from  Li  Hung  Chang,  and  I  am  no  more  of 
an  engineer  than  old  Ghun  Sling  himself." 

"The  outlook  is  not  very  promising,"  I  acknowledged. 
"All  we  can  do  is  to  keep  a  bold  front,  and  try  to  hood 
wink  the  general  as  we  have  fooled  our  guards." 

"And  if  he  don't  take  it,  off  goes  our  heads,  eh?" 

"We  have  escaped  thus  far,  perhaps  our  good  fortune 
will  continue." 

"I  hope  so.  '  If  Osaki  knew  our  whereabouts  he'd  try 
to  rescue  us,  I  presume." 

"He  certainly  would,"  I  replied,  emphatically.  "Per 
haps  he  is  on  his  way  here  now.  He  must  have  discov 
ered  our  absence  last  night." 

"And  spent  all  this  morning  looking  over  the  field  for 
our  bodies,"  added  Forbes.  "Well,  if  he  does  follow  us, 
I  am  afraid  he'll  arrive  too  late.  The  guards  are  getting 
ready  to  cross  now.  In  another  hour  we'll  be  taken  be 
fore  the  general." 

"It  is  understood,  then,  that  we  carry  on  our  engineer 
ing  pretenses?"  I  asked,  hurriedly,  as  the  soldiers  ap 
proached. 

"Yes ;  say  you  know  all  about  laying  out  fortresses  and 
all  that.  If  he  believes  us  and  sets  us  to  work,  we'll  make 
out  somehow." 

The  subofficer  came  up  and  said  that  we  would  cross 
at  once.  Forbes  selected  a  stalwart  coolly,  and  climbed 
upon  his  shoulders  with  great  sang  froid.  I  did  the  same 


1 82  We  are  Received. 

with  another  Celestial,  and  in  half  an  hour  we  were 
dropped  on  the  other  bank  dry  shod. 

"You  come  to  Genelal  Yeh,"  said  Ghun  Sling,  im 
portantly.     "He  talkee  you  high  chop.     You  tellee  him- 
about  me,  eh?" 

"Surely,"  replied  the  young  Englishman.  "Guide  us  to 
headquarters  without  delay.  I  am  just  dying  to  see  my 
old  friend,  the  general." 

"Perhaps  you  will  die  after  seeing  him,"  I  could  not 
help  whispering.  "Ghun  Sling  told  me  this  morning  that 
the  general  has  been  in  a  towering  rage  since  leaving 
Ping  An,  and  that  no  one  can  speak  with  him." 

"Pleasant  lookout  that,"  remarked  Forbes,  with  a 
whistle  of  dismay. 

He  cast  a  wistful  glance  at  a  pile  of  swords  nearby,  and 
added : 

"If  we  were  only  armed,  don't  you  know.  I  would  like 
to  give  an  account  of  myself  if  the  worst  comes." 

"That's  easily  arranged,"  I  replied,  carelessly.  "Ghun 
Sling  believes  in  us,  from  all  appearances.  Let's  see  if 
he  won't  fit  us  out  with  weapons." 

I  hardly  hoped  for  success  while  making  the  request, 
but  the  subofficer  instantly  obeyed,  giving  each  of  us  a 
sharp-pointed  sword.  I  saw  Forbes  grasp  his  weapon 
with  a  gesture  of  great  relief. 

It  was  evident  that  Ghun  Sling  wished  to  placate  us  as 
much  as  possible.  Otherwise  he  would  hardly  have 
armed  us.  I  confess  I  had  little  hope  of  deluding  the 
Chinese  general,  and  the  possession  of  a  means  of  defense 
signified  a  great  deal. 


We  are  Received.  183 

Where  we  had  left  the  river  several  hundred  soldiers 
were  actively  engaged  in  constructing  a  couple  of  forts. 
An  officer  of  high  rank  directed  them,  but  his  knowledge 
of  military  engineering  was  superficial. 

Some  distance  back  an  army  of  men  was  toiling  upon 
the  unfinished  walls  of  a  stone  fortress,  and  still  farther 
inland  a  round,  towerlike  fort  had  been  almost  completed. 

In  all  directions  could  be  seen  soldiers  at  work.  I  was 
early  impressed  by  their  lack  of  enthusiasm.  It  was 
plainly  apparent  that  only  the  fear  of  summary  punish 
ment  prevented  them  from  taking  to  their  heels.  Surely, 
such  a  craven-hearted  army  deserved  defeat. 

Our  appearance  attracted  little  attention.  Several  of 
ficers  eyed  us  curiously,  and  one  or  two  addressed  our 
guide,  but  his  explanation  seemed  satisfactory. 

In  the  interior  of  the  largest  earthworks  we  found  the 
general  in  command.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
officials  of  all  ranks,  who  were  listening  respectfully  to 
their  superior  officer.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  us  when 
we  were  led  in  by  Ghun  Sling,  and  during  the  momentary 
silence  I  had  a  good  opportunity  to  see  the  arbiter  of  our 
new  fortunes. 

One  glance  settled  the  matter.  There  was  little  to  be 
expected  save  the  worst  from  the  cruel,  evil-marked  face 
of  the  general.  His  narrow,  slitlike  eyes  contracted  at 
sight  of  us,  and  he  demanded  an  explanation  in  such  a 
harsh  tone  that  poor  Ghun  Sling  fell  upon  all  fours  and 
kow-towed  industriously. 

"No  hope  here,"  muttered  Forbes.  "I  am  afraid  we 
are  gone  up,  old  fellow." 


184  We  are  Received. 

"I'll  have  a  try  at  the  brute  first,"  I  replied,  vindictively. 
"He  shall  not  murder  us  without  a  struggle." 

The  subofficer  wasted  no  time  in  stating  the  facts  in 
the  case.  He  must  have  enlarged  on  Forbes'  claim  about 
meeting  the  general  in  Pekin,  as  I  saw  the  latter  give  a 
start  of  surprise  and  glare  keenly  at  us. 

Then  he  broke  out  in  what  must  have  been  an  angry 
denial,  and  for  a  moment  I  thought  we  would  be  attacked 
by  the  enraged  officers.  Our  guide's  face  fell  at  the  un 
expected  turn  of  affairs,  and  I  saw  him  glance  around,  as 
if  meditating  an  ignominious  flight. 

I  instinctively  moved  over  toward  the  young  English 
man,  and  grasped  my  sword  in  readiness  for  an  assault. 
The  action  did  not  escape  General  Yeh.  Springing  to  his 
feet,  he  uttered  a  command  in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

A  moment  later  the  entire  group  of  officials,  reinforced 
by  Ghun  Sling  and  a  number  of  soldiers,  rushed  upon  us. 
Placing  our  backs  to  the  thick  wall,  we  stood  on  the  de 
fensive,  and  prepared  to  sell  our  lives  as  dearly  as  possible. 

Just  before  the  foremost  of  the  officials  reached  us  an 
unexpected  interruption  took  place. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

IN  WHICH  I  STUMBLE  UPON  A  MYSTERY. 

I  was  on  the  point  of  thrusting  at  a  thick-jowled  Celes 
tial  in  a  torn  and  mud-stained  uniform,  when  the  insti 
gator  of  all  the  trouble — General  Yeh  himself — forced  his 
way  through  the  throng,  and  fiercely  bade  us  throw  down 
our  weapons. 

To  my  surprise,  he  spoke  in  excellent  English. 

"You  are  fools!"  he  said,  harshly.  "You  cannot  ex 
pect  to  defeat  twenty-five  thousand  soldiers." 

"No;  but  we'll  make  some  of  you  suffer  before  yield 
ing,"  replied  Forbes,  boldly. 

I  expected  an  instant  renewal  of  the  attack,  but  instead 
of  giving  the  order,  the  general  laughed  as  if  highly 
pleased. 

"If  I  had  a  few  hundred  soldiers  like  you,  those  off 
scourings  from  Japan  would  sneak  back  to  their  holes," 
he  said,  abruptly.  "Give  up  your  swords;  no  harm  will 
come  to  you." 

"With  your  kind  permission,  we  will  retain  them,"  I 
replied,  coolly.  "We  take  your  word,  sir,  but  there  is  no 
telling  what  your  soldiers  will  do." 

General  Yeh  made  an  impatient  gesture,  and  fiercely 
dismissed  his  subordinates.  I  saw  Ghun  Sling  signal  us 
from  a  distance,  as  if  pleading  for  our  aid  at  headquar- 


1 86  I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery. 

ters,  and  it  convinced  me  that  we  really  had  won  over  the 
formidable  general. 

It  was  an  encouraging  change  from  the  previous  mo 
ment,  and  I  resolved  to  make  the  most  of  it.  Like  all 
tyrants,  the  commander  of  the  defeated  Chinese  army  was 
vacillating. 

Our  desperate  stand — to  him  the  acme  of  courage — had 
aroused  his  admiration.  Accustomed  to  the  cowardice  of 
his  men,  and  not  very  brave  himself,  he  probably  thought 
that  we  would  form  good  material  in  the  next  battle  with 
the  enemy,  and  for  that  reason  he  spared  our  lives. 

When  the  last  member  of  his  official  staff  had  disap 
peared,  he  seated  himself  upon  a  block  of  stone  and  re 
garded  us  fixedly.  Forbes  coolly  examined  his  sword  and 
whistled  a  few  bars  from  a  recent  opera. 

"In  his  explanation  that  dog  told  me  you  were  military 
engineers,"  the  general  presently  remarked.  "Did  he 
lie?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  young  Englishman,  striding  up  to 
the  speaker.  "He  told  the  truth.  I  am  a  graduate  of 
Aldershot,  in  England,  and  my  friend  is  a  practical  fort 
ress  builder.  We  have  the  honor  to  offer  our  service  to 
you." 

This  unblushing  assurance  caused  the  general  to  smile 
grimly. 

"You  are  wise,"  he  exclaimed.  "Come ;  I  will  put  you 
to  the  test  at  once.  But  let  me  add,  if  you  fail  to  please 
me,  something  very  unpleasant  will  happen." 

Turning  his  back  to  us,  he  crossed  to  an  opening  in  the 
wall  and  called  a  sentry. 


I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery.  187 

"Gad!  we  must  fool  the  beggar  this  time,"  muttered 
Forbes.  "Do  you  know  anything  about  military  engi 
neering,  Bennett?" 

"Nothing,  absolutely,"  I  replied.  "I  couldn't  tell  an 
embrasure  from  a  parapet.  Do  you  ?" 

"About  as  much.  We  will  have  to  brazen  it  out.  If 
the  general  knows  as  little  as  we  do,  it  will  not  be  diffi 
cult." 

A  moment  later  we  were  called  to  the  opening,  and  then 
escorted  in  person  from  one  earthwork  to  another  until 
we  had  made  the  entire  rounds.  General  Yeh  did  not 
ask  any  questions  until  we  reached  the  round,  towerlike 
fort  previously  mentioned. 

It  was  situated  on  a  slight  elevation,  some  distance  from 
the  river,  and  close  to  the  main  road.  On  all  sides  save 
one,  high  hills,  covered  with  dense  forest,  could  be  seen, 
the  highway  winding  in  and  out  through  tortuous  valleys 
between  them.  The  location  was  well  chosen  for  defense, 
but  I  quickly  saw  that  it  would  have  little  effect  in  guard 
ing  the  ford. 

While  making  the  investigation  with  the  general,  I  pre 
tended  to  take  notes  in  my  book,  adding  a  rude  sketch 
now  and  then.  Forbes  confined  himself  to  an  approving 
grunt  at  odd  intervals. 

"Well,  what  do  you  say?"  suddenly  asked  General  Yeh. 
"Have  you  any  suggestions  to  make?" 

"Plenty,"  I  replied,  curtly. 

Forbes  gave  me  a  quick  glance  of  approval.  The  gen 
eral  showed  his  teeth  in  an  unpleasant  smile,  and  asked, 
sarcastically : 


1 88  I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery. 

"So  you  have  discovered  defects  in  the  \vork  of  my 
engineers,  eh  ?  Are  the  forts  badly  put  together  ?" 

"No,  but  they  are  badly  situated,  as  a  rule.  This  one 
is  all  right  as  a  place  of  last  resort,  but  it  does  not  com 
mand  the  ford.  Those  earthworks  over  there  represent 
so  much  labor  thrown  away.  If  you  take  my  advice  you 
will  throw  up  a  line  of  breastworks  clear  across  the  road, 
and  for  five  hundred  yards  on  each  side. 

"Then  mount  in  them  all  your  machine  guns  and  your 
sharpshooters,  if  you  have  any.  This  done,  plant  three 
or  four  long-range  cannon  on  the  nearest  hill,  and  several 
more  up  here." 

The  very  audacity  of  this  speech  carried  conviction. 
General  Yeh  clapped  his  hands  together,  summoning  an 
aid.  To  him  he  gave  an  order,  then  turning  to  me,  he 
added,  firmly : 

"I  see  now  that  you  are  right.  I  will  degrade  my  chief 
of  staff  and  make  you  the  engineer  in  command.  If  our 
next  battle  with  the  enemy  results  in  our  favor,  your  for 
tune  is  made — if  it  does  not,  you  will  lose  your  head." 

The  latter  stipulation  was  not  very  pleasant  to  hear,  but 
I  shrugged  my  shoulders  as  if  such  a  contingency  was  out 
of  the  question.  I  was  rather  surprised  at  the  general's 
ready  acceptance  of  my  criticisms,  as  the  suggestions 
were  simply  made  at  a  venture. 

While  waiting  for  the  officers  he  had  summoned,  Gen 
eral  Yeh  asked  various  questions,  to  which  I  replied  as 
best  I  could.  Forbes  joined  in  with  a  condemnation  of 
the  towerlike  fort,  which  he  stated  was  entirely  useless. 

"Not  so,"  replied  that  Chinese  official.     "I  had  that 


I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery.  189 

constructed  for  my  own  safety.  If  those  dogs  capture 
the  outer  works  I  will  retreat  to  this  fort  and  defy  them." 

"It  won't  hold  your  army,  or  one-tenth  of  it,"  I  re 
marked. 

"It  will  hold  me  and  my  personal  guard,"  was  the  in 
different  reply.  "The  rest  can  shift  for  themselves.  I 
hope  the  emergency  won't  arise — for  your  sake." 

The  last  part  of  the  sentence  was  uttered  in  such  a 
brutal  tone  that  I  could  hardly  keep  my  temper.  It  was 
evident  that  our  lives  depended  upon  the  outcome  of  the 
next  encounter  with  the  Japanese  forces. 

"It  is  a  very  slender  reed  to  depend  on,"  I  thought.  "It 
behooves  us  to  escape  before  that  event,  as  the  Japs  will 
surely  be  the  victors." 

"Here  comes  my  engineer,"  suddenly  remarked  the  gen 
eral,  indicating  a  fat,  waddling  Celestial,  clad  in  gorgeous 
robes.  "I'll  place  him  under  your  orders  at  once.  If  he 
objects,  off  goes  his  head.  You  can  have  all  the  help  you 
need,  and  all  you  will  have  to  do  is  to  give  your  orders." 

"In  that  case  I  wiil  need  some  person  to  translate  them," 
I  replied,  reflectively.  "That  subofficer  who  brought  us 
before  you  understands  English.  Why  not  promote  him 
to  the  position  of  aide-de-camp  ?" 

"It  is  done,"  promptly  replied  the  general.  Then  ad 
dressing  the  native  engineer,  he  peremptorily  dismissed 
him  with  a  few  sonorous  phrases.  I  saw  the  fellow  leer 
at  me,  then  he  shambled  away  in  haste. 

"He  didn't  like  his  dose,"  whispered  Forbes.  "I  rather 
think  he'd  make  it  warm  for  us  if  he  had  a  chance,  don't 
you  know." 


190  I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery. 

"I  wouldn't  be  surprised.  We'll  keep  out  of  his  way 
until  we  find  an  opportunity  to  escape  from  this  place.  It 
won't  do  to  wait  very  long,  either,  as  the  Japs  may  attack 
any  day." 

At  that  moment  our  former  guide,  Ghun  Sling,  came 
up  bowing,  with  extreme  humility,  to  the  general.  He 
was  acquainted  with  his  promotion,  and  I  saw  that  it 
pleased  him  immensely.  It  soon  became  evident  that  we 
had  made  one  friend. 

"I  thankee  you  vely  much,"  he  said,  after  General  Yeh 
had  withdrawn  to  his  quarters.  "Bimeby  I  pay  you 
plenty  chop." 

Ghun  Sling  bobbed  his  head  knowingly  while  speaking, 
and  ended  with  a  prolonged  wink.  His  actions  encour 
aged  me  to  hope  that  we  might  rely  on  his  assistance  in 
case  of  an  emergency,  and  I  signaled  Forbes  to  cultivate 
him  as  much  as  possible. 

An  hour  later  we  were  hard  at  work  supervising  the 
construction  of  the  new  fortifications.  It  was  evident, 
from  the  eagerness  with  which  the  subordinate  officers 
and  soldiers  obeyed  our  orders,  that  General  Yeh  had 
issued  strict  commands  to  that  effect. 

Once  during  the  day  we  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  de 
posed  chief  military  engineer,  but  he  fought  shy  of  us. 
When  night  came  we  were  provided  with  quarters  in  the 
round  fort.  A  cordon  of  sentinels  not  far  away  indicated 
that  we  were  prisoners  still. 

That  evening  Forbes  and  I  talked  over  several  plans  of 
escape,  but  we  could  not  come  to  any  decision.  We 
agreed  upon  one  thing — that  Ghun  Sling's  assistance  was 


I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery.  191 

imperative.  Daybreak  found  us  again  at  work.  Shortly 
before  noon,  while  talking  with  the  subofficer  concerning 
the  moving  of  several  heavy  cannon,  he  slipped  close  to 
me  and  whispered : 

"If  I  tellee  you  something  you  no  tellee  Genelal  Yeh? 
It  about  you." 

Suspecting  that  he  was  in  possession  of  some  important 
information,  I  called  to  Forbes — who  was  in  another  part 
of  the  earthwork — and  told  Ghun  Sling  to  proceed.  He 
waited  until  the  young  Englishman  had  joined  us,  and 
then  said,  impressively : 

"You  in  gleat  danger.  Bad  man  whose  job  you  took 
makee  high  chop  plan  to  killee  you.  He  slittee  you  thloat 
plenty  quick." 

"The  deuce  you  say!"  exclaimed  Forbes,  exchanging 
glances  with  me.  "When  is  that  delightful  ceremony  to 
take  place  ?" 

"Don't  know;  maybe  to-night.  Fellow  told  me  Man 
darin  Ching — dat  his  name — pay  thlee,  five  Chinamen  to 
kill  you.  You  lookee  out." 

"By  Jove!  I  think  we  will,"  I  said,  hurriedly.  "I 
thought  the  beggar  would  hold  malice  because  we  super 
seded  him,  but  I  didn't  expect  trouble  so  quickly.  Ghun 
Sling,  you  are  a  friend  of  ours  ?" 

The  subofficer  nodded  his  head  decisively. 

"Well,  we  must  escape  from  camp  this  very  night,  and 
I  now  ask  you  to  help  us.  I  will  pay  you  liberally,  and 
you  can  come  with  us  if  you  wish  to.  What  do  you  say  ?" 

"I  do  it,"  promptly  replied  the  Chinaman.  "I  know 
way  flom  camp  to  coast.  Bimeby  when  you  go  sleep  you 


192          I  Stumble  Upon  a  Mystery. 

wait  me.  Sabe  ?  I  come  outside  big  flot  and  makee  noise 
likee  owl.  Den  you  come  plenty  quick." 

Overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  leaving  our  perilous  situ 
ation,  Forbes  and  I  worked  industriously  until  nightfall, 
and  then  retired  to  await  anxiously  Ghun  Sling's  signal. 

A  few  moments  after  entering  our  quarters  in  the  round 
fort,  a  summons  came  for  me  from  General  Yeh.  I 
obeyed  in  haste,  and,  after  answering  a  number  of  ques 
tions  regarding  the  work,  I  returned  to  the  little  tent 
which  the  young  Englishman  and  I  occupied. 

To  my  surprise,  I  found  it  empty.  Going  outside,  I 
called  his  name  softly,  but  without  result.  A  hurried 
search  of  the  uncompleted  fort  revealed  nothing.  Ex 
cited  and  unnerved,  I  re-entered  it,  when  the  mournful 
hoot  of  an  owl  sounded  beyond  the  breastworks.  Drop 
ping-  the  lantern,  I  hastened  in  that  direction,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  stumbled  across  the  body  of  a  man  lying  almost 
underneath  the  parapet. 

Quickly  striking  a  match,  I  glanced  at  the  upturned 
face.  It  was  the  subofficer,  Ghun  Sling,  dead,  and  rest 
ing  upon  the  inanimate  body  was  Forbes'  sword  covered 
with  blood! 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

IN    WHICH    I    MAKE    GOOD    MY    ESCAPE    FROM    CAMP. 

On  catching  sight  of  the  young  Englishman's  sword 
with  the  bloodstains  bedimming  its  bright  blade,  I  recoiled 
in  horror.  What  did  it  all  mean?  Who  had  killed  the 
subofficer  ? 

Lighting  another  match,  I  picked  up  the  weapon  and 
examined  it  carefully.  I  was  not  mistaken.  I  knew  by 
its  peculiar  handle  that  it  was  the  one  worn  by  Forbes  not 
an  hour  previously. 

"My  heavens!  he  could  not  have — no,  it  is  simply  im 
possible,"  I  muttered,  shocked  at  my  own  suspicions. 

Suddenly  a  slight  noise  in  a  neighboring  bush  caused 
me  to  step  toward  the  entrance  I  had  just  quitted.  It 
was  well  I  did,  as  a  steel-pointed  lance  came  whizzing 
through  the  air,  striking  the  stone  face  of  the  fort  with  a 
resounding  clang. 

"Ah;  you  assassins,  you  are  afraid  to  use  firearms !"  I 
exclaimed,  aloud,  forgetting  all  discretion  in  my  anger. 

Another  spear  struck  at  my  feet,  and  then,  just  as  I 
dodged  behind  the  thick  wall,  several  more  shot  past  me. 
Deeming  it  better  to  leave  such  warm  quarters  without 
delay,  I  darted  across  the  fort  and  slipped  through  a  nar 
row  porthole  on  the  opposite  side. 

Hearing  footsteps  behind,  I  took  to  my  heels  and  ran 


194  My  Escape  from  Camp. 

toward  the  river  bank,  arousing  several  sentries  on  the 
way.  They  immediately  gave  the  alarm,  and  in  an  in 
stant  the  camp  was  in  an  uproar. 

Crouching  beneath  a  gun  carriage,  I  deliberated 
whether  to  claim  protection  from  General  Yeh  or  attempt 
an  escape.  I  speedily  decided  in  favor  of  the  latter. 
Forbes  had  disappeared,  Ghun  Sling  was  dead,  so  to  re 
main  would  mean  a  friendless  waiting  until  the  coming 
of  the  Japanese  forces  would  decide  the  question  of  life 
or  death. 

"Better  trust  to  luck,"  I  muttered,  slipping  from  my 
hiding-place.  "It  hasn't  failed  me  yet." 

Flaring  torches  in  the  hands  of  a  hundred  soldiers  cast 
an  unwelcome  light  upon  the  scene,  but  I  managed  to 
reach  the  new  breastworks  lining  the  river  front  without 
discovery.  A  moment  later  I  was  on  the  outer  side, 
wading  knee-deep  down  the  stream. 

Then,  just  as  a  keen -eyed  soldier  espied  me,  I  gained  a 
sufficient  depth  and  disappeared  beneath  the  surface.  A 
faint  rattle  of  musketry  came  to  my  ears,  and  I  felt  the 
water  agitated  by  the  leaden  bullets,  but  none  struck  me. 

Finally  forced  upward  for  air,  I  managed  it  so  that 
only  my  face  showed  above  the  surface,  then  diving 
again,  I  swam  with  the  current.  After  a  while  I  ven 
tured  a  cautious  glance,  and  found  to  my  great  joy,  that 
I  was  far  below  the  camp. 

Behind,  and  just  dimly  visible,  was  a  red  glow  marking 
the  site  of  General  Yeh's  fortifications.  Presently  a  bend 
in  the  river  caused  even  that  to  vanish,  and  I  was  alone 
in  darkness  on  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Yalu. 


My  Escape  from  Camp.  195 

For  a  moment  a  feeling  of  exultation  at  my  successful 
escape  took  possession  of  me ;  then  I  began  to  realize  the 
seriousness  of  my  situation.  Floating  down  the  river  in 
the  extreme  northern  part  of  Corea,  with  the  probability 
of  meeting  Chinese  camps  at  any  turn,  was  not  very 
pleasant,  to  say  the  least. 

Then  I  was  unarmed,  a  fugitive  from  the  Japanese,  sep 
arated  from  my  few  friends,  and  progressing  toward  the 
open  sea  at  the  rate  of  five  knots  an  hour. 

The  latter  could  be  remedied,  anyway,  and  I  proceeded 
to  do  so  without  delay.  Ten  minutes  previous  the  moon 
had  struggled  from  behind  a  bank  of  clouds,  throwing  a 
sufficient  light  upon  the  scene  to  bring  out  in  faint  relief 
both  banks  of  the  river. 

I  noticed  with  some  alarm  that  the  stream  had  broad 
ened  considerably.  It  appeared  to  be  at  least  several 
miles  in  width,  and  was  becoming  rather  turbulent  under 
the  force  of  a  strong  breeze. 

Turning  over,  I  struck  out  for  the  nearest  bank,  and 
finally  managed  to  crawl  from  the  water.  After  resting  a 
while,  I  walked  slowly  along  the  edge  of  the  river,  un 
decided  what  to  do  next. 

"There  isn't  any  use  in  staying  here,"  I  murmured. 
"It's  too  near  the  main  roads,  and  I  am  liable  to  be 
picked  up  by  some  wandering  band  of  Chinese  refugees 
at  any  moment.  Guess  the  coast  is  the  safest  place.  I 
may  strike  a  port  there." 

I  accordingly  prepared  for  a  long  walk  by  removing 
my  clothes  and  wringing  the  water  from  each  garment. 


1 96  My  Escape  from  Camp. 

A  lucky  precaution  had  caused  me  to  wrap  my  note 
book  in  oiled  silk,  so  it  had  escaped  injury. 

"I'll  have  use  for  you  before  long,"  I  said  aloud,  care 
fully  examining  the  leather-backed  volume.  "If  all 
goes  well  I'll  cover  about  fifty  pages  of  you  in  a  most 
interesting  dispatch.  Heigho,  I  wonder  if  the  Associa 
tion  has  rceived  my  message  from  Shanghai  yet  ?'' 

That  led  me  to  think  of  my  Japanese  friend,  Osaki. 
Although  personally  worth  very  little  money,  I  would 
have  given  every  cent  and  six  months'  salary  in  addi 
tion  if  he  had  popped  into  view  from  some  bush  just 
then. 

"He  thinks  that  I  am  dead,  and  has  rejoined  the  army 
by  this  time,  I  suppose,"  I  muttered,  rather  bitterly. 
"Well,  I  am  worth  a  whole  graveyard  full  of  defuncts 
yet.  Here  goes  for  the  coast." 

Striking  out  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  I  walked 
steadily  for  several  hours.  My  thoughts  kept  pace 
with  my  steps,  and  I  recalled  and  elaborated  numerous 
incidents  of  the  past  few  days. 

Finding  that  the -moon  gave  sufficient  light,  I  halted 
presently  and  jotted  down  the  outlines  of  a  long  dis 
patch.  The  longer  I  wrote  the  more  interested  I  be 
came,  until  finally  I  found  that  I  had  fairly  covered  the 
ground.  A  description  of  poor  Jack  Bunce's  end  and 
the  mysterious  disappearance  of  Alfred  Montague 
Forbes  was  not  forgotten. 

The  latter  was  a  very  perplexing  subject.  I  could 
not  bring  myself  to  believe  that  he  had  caused  the 


My  Escape  from  Camp.  197 

death  of  Ghun  Sling,  although  the  circumstances  cer 
tainly  pointed  in  that  direction. 

"What  could  be  his  object?"  I  asked,  aloud,  resum 
ing  the  journey  along  the  river  bank.  "It  would  not 
help  him  to  escape  without " 

I  paused,  struck  with  a  sudden  thought. 

"What  if  the  subofficer  had  turned  traitor,  and 
Forbes  had  killed  him  to  keep  from  being  captured?" 

It  was  plausible.  Perhaps  the  young  Englishman 
had  heard  the  signal  while  I  was  with  General  Yeh,  had 
gone  outside  to  ask  Ghun  Sling  to  wait,  and  had  been 
set  upon  by  the  men  hired  by  the  deposed  engineer. 
In  his  anger  and  desperation,  he  had  probably  turned 
on  the  subofficer  and  killed  him. 

"If  such  was  the  case,  it  served  the  traitor  right,"  I 
muttered.  "And  I  hope  Forbes  made  his  escape." 

An  hour  later  I  saw  a  few  scattered  lights  ahead.  It 
did  not  require  much  investigation  to  discover  that  I 
had  stumbled  upon  a  town  of  considerable  size.  Men 
tally  recalling  a  map  of  the  neighborhood,  I  knev^  that 
it  was  the  port  of  Wi-Ju,  which  was  still  in  the  hands  of 
the  Chinese  forces. 

To  advance  was  utterly  out  of  the  question,  and  to 
skirt  the  city  would  entail  great  risk.  Only  one  method 
of  passing  remained,  and  that  was  to  float  down  the 
river.  That  point  settled,  I  hastily  selected  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree  and  launched  it  from  the  bank.  Then 
plunging  in,  I  concealed  myself  in  the  trailing  branches. 

The  rus€  was  thoroughly  successful,  and  I  drifted 
past  the  town  without  discovery.  Finding  the  situation 


198  My  Escape  from  Camp. 

not  uncomfortable,  I  concluded  to  stick  to  the  log  for 
a  while.  The  night  waned  rapidly,  and  when  morning 
dawned  I  was  still  floating  with  the  current.  Not  far 
below  I  caught  sight  of  the  open  sea.  I  was  near  the 
mouth  of  the  great  river.  While  glancing  in  that  direc 
tion,  I  suddenly  observed  something  that  caused  me  to 
toss  up  my  arms  in  frantic  delight. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

IN  WHICH  I  WITNESS  A  NAVAL  BATTLE  AND  MEET  AN  OLD 

FRIEND. 

Steaming  around  the  southern  point  of  the  estuary 
was  a  large  black-painted  transport,  apparently  crowded 
with  men.  Following  in  its  wake  came  another,  and 
behind  that  several  more,  until  at  last  I  counted  eight 
vessels. 

My  joy  vanished  when  I  espied  the  yellow  flag  of 
China  floating  over  the  stern  of  each  craft.  Seeking 
refuge  on  board  such  a  fleet  would  mean  tumbling  from 
the  frying-pan  into  the  fire. 

Even  if  I  had  entertained  such  an  idea,  I  speedily  saw 
that  it  would  be  impossible.  For  some  reason  the 
squadron  of  transports  was  in  a  desperate  hurry. 
Dense  columns  of  smoke  poured  from  the  funnels,  their 
glistening  hulls  trembled  under  the  strain,  and  every  indi 
cation  pointed  to  a  frantic  haste. 

Seeing  that  one  of  the  steamers  would  pass  near  me, 
I  lowered  myself  among  the  branches  and  waited  in  si 
lence  until  the  vessel  had  gained  a  safe  distance.  A 
few  moments  later  I  ascertained  the  cause  of  their 
speed. 

Out  in  the  offing  suddenly  appeared  the  masts  of 
another  fleet.  When  the  hulls  cleared  the  horizon,  I 


2OO  I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle. 

saw  that  it  was  composed  of  war  vessels.  They,  too, 
were  under  all  steam,  and  at  first  I  thought  it  was  a 
Japanese  squadron. 

A  glimpse  of  the  peculiarly  shaped  ensigns  bearing 
the  dragon — fit  symbol  of  a  barbarous  race — proclaimed 
their  identity.  They  also  were  Chinese.  Completely 
puzzled,  I  awaited  developments. 

Steaming  within  a  mile  of  me,  the  squadron  wheeled 
and  stood  out  to  sea  again  just  as  several  blotches  of 
smoke  appearing  above  the  distant  rim  of  the  sea  indi 
cated  the  approach  of  still  another  fleet. 

This  time  I  understood  matters.  The  transports, 
bearing  reinforcements  for  the  Chinese  Army  and  es 
corted  by  a  strong  convoy,  had  been  chased  by  the  Jap 
anese.  The  vessels  of  the  Celestial  Navy  had  seen 
their  charges  safe  into  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Yalu, 
and  were  now  outward  bound  to  give  battle  to  the 
enemy. 

As  it  stood  I  was  in  a  fair  way  to  witness  a  naval  en 
gagement,  and  I  waxed  highly  enthusiastic.  Abandon 
ing  my  log,  I  swam  ashore  and  hurried  to  a  promontory 
overlooking  the  estuary. 

Selecting  an  advantageous  position,  I  whipped  out 
my  notebook  and  prepared  to  do  a  novel  bit  of  re 
porting. 

"It  isn't  every  correspondent  that  can  have  such  a 
chance,"  I  chuckled,  adjusting  my  pen.  "What  a  glori 
ous  'beat'  I'll  score  against  the  Britishers — if  I  suc 
ceed  in  sending  my  dispatches.  Stanley  Bennett,  you 
are  favored  of  the  gods,  my  boy." 


I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle.  201 

While  waiting  for  the  performance  to  begin,  I  noticed 
a  small  coasting  vessel  rigged  very  similar  to  an  Ameri 
can  schooner,  creeping  along  the  shore.  Its  presence 
excited  my  curiosity,  as  it  was  not  the  kind  of  craft  one 
would  expect  to  meet  near  the  mouth  of  the  Yalu. 

It  was  standing  in  under  easy  sail,  and  seemed  to  be 
waiting  for  something.  Those  on  board  had  every  op 
portunity  to  steer  their  vessel  into  the  river,  but  for 
some  reason  did  not  do  so. 

The  muffled  sound  of  a  heavy  gun  again  drew  my  at 
tention  to  the  war  fleets,  and  I  forgot  the  mysterious 
schooner  for  the  time  being. 

The  rival  squadrons  were  rapidly  approaching  each 
other.  The  leading  Chinese  vessel — a  formidable  bat 
tleship  flying  an  admiral's  pennant — had  already  com 
menced  firing. 

I  saw  a  heavy  shell  from  one  of  her  guns  skip  across 
the  water  and  explode  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
Japanese  flagship.  It  was  not  heeded.  A  few  mo 
ments  later  another  Celestial  cruiser  let  fly  with  a  whole 
broadside. 

When  the  smoke  cleared  away,  I  saw  the  Japanese 
vessels  calmly  steaming  toward  their  antagonists  and  ap 
parently  untouched.  As  yet  not  a  gun  had  been  fired 
by  them. 

"Jove !  they  must  intend  to  follow  the  example  of  the 
hero  of  Bunker  Hill,"  I  muttered,  "and  not  pull  a  trig 
ger  until  they  can  see  the  whites  of  the  enemy's  eyes. 
It's  certainly  splendid  tactics." 


202  I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle. 

The  silent,  irresistible  march  of  the  Japs  had  an  im 
mediate  effect.  The  right  flank  of  the  Chinese,  which 
had  been  hurrying  forward  in  obedience  to  a  signal, 
wavered  and  broke. 

Then  the  first  division  took  fright  and  ceased  steam 
ing.  This  led  to  an  entanglement  with  the  second  line 
of  ships,  and  instantly  the  utmost  confusion  ensued.  I 
saw  a  string  of  flags  soar  aloft  on  the  Chinese  flagship, 
but  the  maneuver  called  for  was  not  obeyed. 

Still  the  Japs  advanced  with  unbroken  front. 

"Fire,  confound  it!"  I  cried,  brandishing  my  book  in 
excitement.  "Give  them  a  volley  now,  while  they  are 
rattled.  Now  is  the " 

Crash!  boom! 

As  if  in  obedience  to  my  eager  words,  a  thunderous 
discharge  echoed  across  the  water,  and  an  impenetrable 
wall  of  smoke  hid  the  battling  fleets.  It  did  not  lift, 
and  all  that  met  my  gaze  were  the  sharp,  vivid  flashes  of 
the  guns,  and  an  occasional  glimpse  of  a  towering  mast. 

The  Japanese  had  opened  fire  at  last. 

For  fully  ten  minutes  the  scene  was  veiled  in  a  sul 
phurous  vapor.  I  could  hear  the  stupendous  crashing 
of  cannon,  the  whistling  shriek  of  shells,  and  at  times 
when  the  wind  served,  faint  wails  of  agony,  but  naught 
could  I  see  save  that  dull  barrier  of  smoke  resting  like 
a  pall  over  the  water. 

It  was  a  strange  and,  withal,  thrilling  situation,  and  it 
recalled  to  me  those  familiar  words  of  Longfellow : 


I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle.  203 

"I  remember  the  sea-fight  far  away, 

How  it  thundered  o'er  the  tide ! 
And  the  dead  captains,  as  they  lay 
In  their  graves  o'erlooking  tHe  tranquil  bay, 

Where  they  in  battle  died." 

That  many  a  poor  fellow  would  go  to  his  last  rest  be 
fore  the  combat  ceased  was  assured.  Presently  I  no 
ticed  a  Chinese  gunboat,  stripped  of  its  top-hammer  and 
on  fire  in  several  places,  drift  away  from  the  center  of 
the  fight. 

It  seemed  to  be  entirely  disabled  and  apparently  sink 
ing.  The  trend  of  the  sea  carried  it  slowly  toward  the 
point  of  land  upon  which  I  had  taken  my  stand,  and  at 
the  end  of  ten  minutes  it  was  almost  ashore. 

The  crew  had  taken  refuge  near  the  stern,  where  they 
could  be  seen  attempting  to  lower  a  couple  of  boats. 
Suddenly  a  Japanese  cruiser  of  small  size  shot  into 
view,  and  steamed  rapidly  toward  the  wreck. 

A  moment  later  a  puff  of  smoke  came  from  her  bow. 
A  shower  of  glistening  splinters  rose  above  the  gun 
boat's  forward  deck,  then  with  a  terrific  crash  the  bow 
was  hurled  upward,  scattering  a  mass  of  debris  over  the 
Chinese  crew. 

Frantic  with  fear,  a  number  leaped  into  the  sea. 
Part  were  drowned  before  my  eyes,  and  part  managed 
to  struggle  up  on  the  beach.  Hastily  thrusting  my 
notebook  into  a  pocket,  I  rushed  down  to  the  water's 
edge  and  assisted  five  or  six  of  the  poor  wretches  to  a 
place  of  safety. 

They  were  completely  exhausted,  and  lay  on  the 
sand  as  if  dead.  Seeing  a  head  bobbing  in  the  water  a 


2O4  I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle. 

dozen  yards  below,  I  ran  in  that  direction  with  the  in 
tention  of  giving  aid  to  the  swimmer.  Before  I  had 
taken  many  steps,  however,  he  disappeared,  doubtless 
carried  under  by  diverse  currents. 

I  paused  with  the  intention  of  returning  to  the  point. 
Chancing  to  glance  seaward,  I  caught  sight  of  a  small 
sailing  vessel  emerging  from  behind  a  slight  eminence 
some  distance  down  the  beach.  It  was  the  schooner 
already  mentioned. 

At  almost  the  same  moment  a  murmur  of  voices 
came  to  my  ears  from  inland.  Wheeling  quickly,  I  saw 
a  number  of  Chinese  burst  from  a  thicket  and  advance 
toward  me.  Not  caring  to  encounter  them  for  obvious 
reasons,  I  took  to  my  heels. 

A  swift  glance  behind  convinced  me  that  I  had  acted 
with  discretion,  as  the  whole  mob  were  in  pursuit.  I 
had  fortunately  started  in  a  southerly  direction,  so  I 
had  the  whole  Corean  peninsula  before  me. 

With  loud  shouts  and  cries  of  rage  the  newcomers 
followed,  straining  every  nerve  to  overtake  me.  I  had 
a  good  start,  however,  and  was  confident  of  outrunning 
them  if  no  accident  occurred.  After  a  while  I  ventured 
a  glance  toward  the  rear,  and  saw,  to  my  surprise,  that 
the  band  of  Celestials  had  halted. 

The  reason  was  soon  forthcoming.  A  short  distance 
from  the  shore  the  strange  schooner  lay  to  with  her 
sails  slatting  in  the  wind,  and  between  her  and  the 
beach  was  a  small  rowboat  containing  several  men.  It 
was  headed  directly  toward  me,  and  had  evidently  come 
from  the  vessel. 


I  Witness  a  Naval  Battle.  205 

Hoping  against  hope,  I  waited  impatiently,  mean 
while  keeping  a  wary  eye  on  the  Chinamen.  A  few 
moments  later  the  light  craft  had  arrived  near  enough 
for  me  to  distinguish  the  faces  of  those  in  the  stern- 
sheets. 

One  person  in  particular  attracted  my  attention.  I 
advanced  to  the  water's  edge,  and  then,  with  a  shout  of 
joy,  rushed  up  to  my  middle  in  the  foaming  breakers. 
I  had  good  cause  for  exhibiting  emotion. 

It  was  Osaki! 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

IN    WHICH     WE    RUN    INTO    WARM    QUARTERS. 

Not  waiting  for  the  boat  to  make  a  landing,  I  scram 
bled  through  the  surf  at  the  cost  of  several  bruises,  and 
was  soon  alongside  the  yawl.  Willing  hands  dragged 
me  over  the  gunwale,  and  then  I  received  such  a  greet 
ing  from  the  young  Japanese  officer  that  tears  came 
into  my  eyes — and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess  it. 

The  sight  of  his  friendly  face  was  almost  a  recom 
pense  for  all  the  hardships  I  had  undergone  since  part 
ing  with  him  near  Ping  An. 

"Not  a  word  yet,  old  fellow,"  interrupted  Osaki, 
when  I  started  to  ask  several  questions.  "Wait  until 
we  return  to  the  Messenger,  then  we  will  have  a  good 
talk.  Thank  Heaven,  I  recognized  you  through  the 
telescope  an  hour  ago!" 

I  echoed  his  fervent  words  with  equal  heartiness. 

"The  Messenger?"  I  added,  in  surprise.  "Is  that  the 
name  of  the  schooner?" 

"Yes,  and  she  is  an  American  vessel,"  replied  the 
young  officer,  with  a  smile.  "It  astonishes  you  to  find 
one  of  your  craft  up  here,  don't  it?  Wait  a  while  and 
I'll  explain  everything.  Pull,  men,  pull  away;  we  must 
get  nearer  to  the  fight." 

In  the  excitement  at  meeting  Osaki  I  had  almost  for- 


Into  Warm  Quarters.  207 

gotten  the  naval  battle.  It  was  still  in  progress,  but 
the  firing  had  slackened  considerably.  The  two  fleets 
had  also  drifted  into  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Yalu 
River,  and  were  almost  hidden  from  sight  by  the  point 
of  land  from  which  I  had  witnessed  the  beginning  of 
the  combat. 

A  short  pull  brought  us  to  the  schooner's  gangway. 
On  climbing  over  the  side  I  noticed  that  every  member 
of  the  little  crew  was  evidently  an  American.  A 
stocky-built  man  with  sandy  whiskers  met  us  in  the 
waist. 

"I  was  right,  Captain  Roach,"  exclaimed  Osaki,  in 
dicating  me  with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "It  is  my  friend, 
Stanley  Bennett." 

"Then  I  have  lost  the  bet,"  replied  the  skipper,  in  a 
deep,  sonorous  voice,  "and  right  glad  I  am,  too. 
Young  man,  shake.  This  gentleman  tells  me  that  you 
are  an  American  from  New  York." 

"That  is  so,  sir,  and  you,  I  take  it,  are  from  the 
States?" 

"  'Frisco.     I  am  out  here  on  a  venture  and " 

"Excuse  me,  captain,  but  I  wish  you  would  get  un 
der  way  at  once,"  suddenly  interrupted  the  young  of 
ficer.  "Run  as  close  to  the  fight  as  you  can  with 
safety.  In  the  meantime  I'll  have  a  talk  with  my  friend. 
I  see  he  is  almost  frantic  with  curiosity.  Come  aft, 
Bennett." 

"Now,  the  very  first  thing  I  wish  to  know  is  whether 
you  succeeded  in  sending  that  dispatch?"  I  asked, 
eagerly. 


so8  Into  Warm  Quarters. 

"Don't  let  that  worry  you,  my  dear  friend,"  replied 
Osaki.  "It  must  have  been  in  print  in  the  United 
States  yesterday.  It  was  sent  from  Kiang  Tsin  by 
steamer  the  very  night  I  left  you  at  Ping  An." 

"By  steamer?"  I  echoed,  in  profound  surprise. 
"How  in  the  deuce  did  you  manage  to  charter  a 
steamer?  This  is  simply  wonderful." 

"Oh,  no,  it  isn't.  Money  can  do  almost  anything, 
you  know.  You  intrusted  me  with  a  liberal  amount, 
and  I  used  some  of  it  to  grease  the  palms  of  a  certain 
deck  officer  on  board  an  English  steamer  bound  to 
Yokohama." 

"Then  you  didn't  send  the  message  to  Shanghai,  after 
all  ?" 

"No;  I  thought  that  it  would  go  more  quickly  in  the 
manner  just  mentioned." 

"You  were  right.  My  agent  at  Yokohama  under 
stands  the  cipher.  By  Jove!  I  feel  relieved  in  mind. 
Now,  old  fellow,  explain  your  most  fortunate  presence 
here." 

"No,  not  until  you  tell  me  how  you  happen  to  be  in 
the  northern  part  of  Corea  instead  of  on  that  hill  where 
I  was  to,  meet  you.  What  did  I  tell  you  about  running 
around  and  getting  into  mischief?  And,  by  the  way, 
where  is  Forbes?" 

Osaki  spoke  in  a  tone  of  mock  severity. 

"I'll  answer  the  last  question  first,"  I  replied,  gravely. 
"I  am  afraid  he  has  gone  to  join  poor  Jack  Bunce." 

"What!     Not  dead?" 

Commencing  with  our  capture  in  the  cemetery  near 


Into  Warm  Quarters.  209 

Ping  An,  I  explained  briefly  all  that  had  taken  place, 
including  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  the  young 
Englishman. 

Osaki  listened  in  amazement. 

"For  goodness'  sake!  it  sounds  like  a  fairy  tale,"  he 
exclaimed.  "Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  have  been 
acting  as  a  military  engineer  for  General  Yeh?" 

"Yes,  and  with  some  success  too,  I  pride  myself." 

"It  is  wonderful.  Why,  he  was  never  known  to 
spare  a  prisoner.  I  have  heard  since  that  during  his 
flight  from  Ping  An,  he  came  across  a  Japanese  field 
hospital  and  butchered  every  one  in  it,  including  a  num 
ber  of  his  own  men,  whom  my  people  had  picked  up 
hiring  the  battle." 

t  doubt  it  after  seeing  his  cruel 
face.  I  am  well  out  of  his  clutches,  and  I  hope  that 
poor  Forbes  is  also." 

"His  disappearance,  as  you  describe  it,  is  certainly 
strange.  He  must  have  killed  that  sub-officer  for 
treachery,  as  you  say.  Well,  if  he  did  not  get  away, 
the  British  Press  Association  has  lost  its  correspond 
ent  at  the  seat  of  war,  and  you  are  without  a  rival  in 
the  field." 

"I  would  much  rather  have  one  than  to  feel  that 
Forbes  has  lost  his  life,"  I  replied,  frankly.  "Now  for 
your  explanation.  Where  did  you  pick  up  this  craft?" 

"At  Kiang  Tsiu.  After  sending  your  dispatch,  I 
returned  in  Kaste  to  Ping  An  and  found  the  city  in  the 
hands  of  my  people.  Crossing  the  river,  I  searched  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  hill,  but  of  course  did  not  meet  you." 


2io  Into  Warm  Quarters. 

"By  that  time  we  were  on  the  road  to  the  Yalu." 

"Fearing  some  mishap,  I  visited  all  the  hospitals," 
continued  Osaki,  with  a  smile.  "But  neither  your 
gory  bodies  nor  any  signs  of  you  did  I  find.  At  last, 
by  the  merest  chance,  I  ran  across  a  Chinese  prisoner 
who  had  seen  you  and  Forbes  captured  at  the  tomb, 
which,  by  the  way,  is  where  Ki  Cha,  the  founder  of 
Corea,  is  buried." 

"I  thought  it  was  some  great  man  from  the  rich 
ness  of  the  ornaments.  I  apologize  to  him  for  profan 
ing  his  jars,  but  they  were  mighty  convenient  hiding- 
places." 

"After  learning  the  truth,  I  was  on  the  point  of 
following  you,  when  a  friend  told  me  that  it  would  be 
well  for  me  to  absent  myself,  as  word  had  come  about 
that  little  affair  near  Seoul,  when  I  escaped  from  the 
guardhouse  to  liberate  you.  Knowing  that  I  was  in 
danger  of  arrest,  I  returned  to  Kiang  Tsiu  and  char 
tered  this  schooner,  which  was  at  anchor  in  the  har 
bor." 

"And  your  intention  was " 

"To  sail  up  the-  Yalu  and  rescue  you  if  your  life  had 
been  spared." 

"Thanks,  old  friend,"  I  exclaimed,  fervently.  "In  the 
darkest  hour  of  our  peril  I  know  that  you,  at  least, 
would  make  an  effort  to  help  us.  Now  what  is  your 
plan?" 

"First  of  all,  to  witness  this  fight.  Oh,  Bennett,  my 
rightful  place  is  on  the  deck  of  one  of  those  battle- 
?hips.  It  is  a  cruel  fortune  that  has  made  me  helpless 


Into  Warm  Quarters.  211 

and  a  fugitive  from  my  own  people  when  Heaven 
knows  that  I  would  die  in  defense  of  Japan.  Now  I 
am  compelled  to  stand  off  and  see  my  comrades  fight 
the  enemy." 

"It  is  hard  indeed,  Osaki,"  I  replied,  sympathetic 
ally.  "I  would  do  anything  to  help  you.  Perhaps — 
when  this  war  is  over — I  can  do  something.  I  will 
go  personally  to  your  emperor.  I  will  enlist  the  aid  of 
my  employers,  and  through  them,  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  and  if  it  is  possible,  you  will  be  righted. 
Rest  assured  that  your  kindness  and  assistance  to  me 
shall  not  go  unrewarded." 

We  were  interrupted  at  this  interesting  point  by 
Captain  Roach,  who  came  to  announce  that  we  had  ar 
rived  as  close  to  the  combatants  as  safety  would  per 
mit.  For  the  next  fifteen  minutes  we  watched  the  wan 
ing  battle  with  eager  eyes. 

At  the  expiration  of  that  time  and  just  as  it  became 
evident  that  a  crisis  was  about  to  occur  in  the  fight,  an 
unexpected  incident  placed  us  in  momentary  but  deadly 
peril. 

Despite  the  carefulness  of  the  skipper,  he  had  per 
mitted  the  schooner  to  drift  dangerously  near  the  two 
fleets.  A  sudden  change  in  the  maneuvering  brought  a 
half-dozen  of  the  Chinese  ships  close  on  our  starboard 
bow.  A  moment  later  a  wooden  corvette  was  forced 
toward  us  by  the  wind,  and  to  our  horror,  we  saw 
that  she  had  been  abandoned  and  was  on  fire  in  a 
score  of  places. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

IN  WHICH  THE  SCHOONER  IS  SAVED. 

Osaki  was  the  first  to  see  the  danger.  Quick  as  light 
ning,  he  sprang  to  the  wheel,  and  sent  it  spinning  to  star 
board. 

The  schooner,  which  had  been  hove  to,  slowly  paid  off, 
and  gathered  a  slight  headway. 

In  the  meantime  Captain  Roach  hurried  forward,  and, 
aided  by  the  crew,  set  both  jibs  and  a  staysail.  Scant  as 
was  my  knowledge  of  seamanship,  I  could  readily  under 
stand  that  even  these  extraordinary  efforts  could  hardly 
help  us,  as  the  burning  cruiser  was  bringing  the  win-! 
down  with  it;  which  means  that  the  breeze,  which  ha-,1 
died  out  a  few  moments  previous,  now  began  to  blow 
from  a  northerly  direction,  or  beyond  the  combating 
fleets. 

By  the  time  the  edge  of  the  wind  had  reached  us,  the 
fire  ship  was  within  two  hundred  yards  and  moving  rap 
idly.  Already  we  could  feel  the  hot  breath  of  the  con 
flagration. 

Burning  embers,  blazing  bits  of  sail  cloth,  and  a  shower 
of  sparks  were  blown  in  our  direction,  carrying  danger 
with  every  missile.  Captain  Roach,  pallid  with  appre 
hension,  set  his  men  to  work  with  buckets  extinguishing 
the  incipient  fires  springing  up  here  and  there. 


The  Schooner  is   Saved.  213 

Joining  Osaki  at  the  wheel,  I  asked  if  nothing  could  be 
d:ne  to  save  the  schooner.  For  answer  he  cast  a  hesitat 
ing  glance  at  the  yawl  hanging  from  the  quarter. 

\Yhether  it  was  an  inspiration  or  whether  my  wits  had 
been  sharpened  by  danger,  I  know  not,  but  I  instantly 
understood  his  meaning.  Running  to  the  boat,  I  cast  off 
the  ropes  at  one  end,  while  the  young  Japanese  followed 
iry  example  at  the  other. 

Not  a  word  was  said  until  Captain  Roach  rushed  up 
to  ask  the  meaning  of  our  actions. 

"Getting  ready  to  abandon  the  schooner?"  he  queried, 
with  an  anxious  glance  toward  the  burning  vessel. 

"No,"  I  curtly  replied. 

"We'll  save  your  vessel  for  you,  captain,"  added  Osaki. 

"What!  You  ain't  going  to  board  her,  man?"  shouted 
the  skipper,  aghast. 

"Just  that.  If  we  can  manage  to  reach  the  tiller  we 
may  send  her  off  a  point  or  two." 

"But  she's  liable  to  blow  up  at  any  moment.  Come 
back,  I  tell  you.  Don't  risk  your  life  like " 

By  that  time  we  were  out  of  hearing,  pulling  for  dear 
life  toward  the  fireship.  We  were  compelled  to  make  a 
sweeping  detour  to  escape  the  flames  that  surged  to  lee 
ward  from  the  doomed  vessel,  but  at  last  we  managed 
to  near  the  stern,  which  was  comparatively  free  from  the 
blaze. 

I  glanced  at  Osaki.  His  pale  face  and  set  teeth  told 
me  more  regarding  our  perilous  work  than  words  could, 
yet  I  had  no  desire  to  flinch  from  my  duty.  We  could 
h?.v3  turned  the  yawl's  bow  toward  the  nearby  shore  and 


214  The  Schooner  is  Saved. 

thus  escaped,  but  such  a  thought  never  entered  my  mind, 
and  I  could  vouch  for  the  young  Japanese  officer  as  well. 

Presently  Osaki  gave  a  quick  turn  of  his  oar,  sending 
the  yawl  under  the  cruiser's  counter. 

"Catch  that  rope  dangling  from  the  rail!"  he  called 
out.  "Quick !  make  a  half  hitch  to  the  bow  ring.  Whew  ! 
isn't  it  hot  ?" 

It  was,  as  I  could  well  testify.  A  sudden  change  in 
the  wind  sent  a  scorching  blast  over  our  heads,  fairly 
singeing  us.  The  heat  was  so  terrific  that  we  were  driven 
overboard  in  self-protection. 

A  moment  later  I  saw  Osaki  slip  up  the  counter  like 
a  cat.  I  was  on  the  point  of  following,  but  he  motioned 
me  back,  shouting: 

"Get  into  the  yawl  and  stand  by  to  pick  me  up.  The 
breeze  has  shifted  again,  and  I  think  I  can  get  her  past 
the  schooner  if " 

His  voice  died  away  in  a  mumble,  but  I  knew  what 
he  meant  well  enough. 

He  would  get  the  cruiser  past  the  Messenger  if  we 
were  not  all  blown  up  before  that  happy  consummation 
of  our  labors. 

In  the  meantime  the  naval  fight  had  slackened  by  de 
grees.  Only  an  occasional  gun  could  now  be  heard,  and 
from  all  appearances  they  were  fired  from  the  Japanese 
battleships. 

While  waiting  for  the  young  officer  I  glanced  astern, 
and  saw  that  the  fleets  had  entered  the  mouth  of  the  Yalu 
in  their  maneuvering ;  the  half-dozen  Chinese  vessels  that 
had  neared  us  also  edging  away. 


The  Schooner  is  Saved.  215 

We  were  now  alone  with  the  blazing  cruiser,  and,  to 
tell  the  truth,  I  was  not  sorry.  We  were  in  ample  peril 
without  adding  a  stray  broadside  to  it. 

Hearing  a  shout  from  Osaki,  I  looked  up  and  saw 
him  waving  his  hand.  The  expression  of  relief  upon  his 
face  indicated  that  he  had  been  successful  in  working 
the  wheel. 

"Pull  to  windward,"  he  shouted,  "and  pick  me  up 
when  I  jump.  I  have  lashed  the  wheel  hard  a-port,  and  I 
think  it  will  remain  so  until  the  fire  reaches  it.  Stand  by." 

I  sculled  the  yawl  to  the  point  he  mentioned,  and  a  mo 
ment  later  he  sprang  into  the  sea.  When  he  had  finally 
climbed  into  the  boat  we  fell  to  at  the  oars  and  speedily 
rowed  the  light  craft  to  a  safe  distance. 

By  that  time  the  effect  of  the  rudder  was  such  that  the 
cruiser  had  changed  its  direction  materially.  If  nothing 
occurred  it  would  now  pass  entirely  clear  of  the  Messen 
ger. 

We  could  see  Captain  Roach  bustling  about  with  the 
crew  putting  out  fires  here  and  trimming  sails  there. 
He  stopped  presently,  and  waved  his  cap  .to  us.  Slowly, 
but  surely,  the  burning  vessel  slipped  past  the  schooner. 
We  followed  in  its  wake,  and  boarded  the  latter  craft. 

"Gentlemen,  I  owe  the  safety  of  my  property  to  you," 
exclaimed  the  skipper,  meeting  us  at  the  gangway.  "If 
it  had  not  been  for  your  bravery  the  old  hooker  would 
now  be  a  goner." 

"Get  under  way  and  head  for  the  river,"  said  Osaki, 
coolly.  "What  we  did  was  as  much  for  our  own  safety 


2i6  The  Schooner  is  Saved. 

as  for  yours.  Come  now,  get  your  men  on  those  ropes ; 
I  want  to  see  the  last  of  the  battle." 

"It's  a  strange  thing  about  that  craft,"  I  remarked, 
watching  the  cruiser  as  it  drifted  seaward. 

"What  do  you  mean  ?v 

"How  is  it  she  don't  blow  up  ?  There  must  be  powder 
and  shells  on  board,  and  that  fire  must  reach  it — • — " 

Boom !    Crash-h-h ! 

With  a  flash  and  a  roar  that  seemed  the  crack  of  doom, 
a  terrific  explosion  interrupted  me,  sending  every  man 
aboard  the  schooner  headlong  to  the  deck.  Although 
partially  unconscious,  I  could  feel  the  Messenger  reel 
over,  over  until  the  port  bulwarks  touched  the  water's 
edge. 

Then  she  righted,  only  to  list  to  almost  an  equal  dis 
tance  on  the  other  side.  After  three  or  four  such  rolls 
she  became  comparatively  steady,  pitching  somewhat  to 
a  head  sea. 

A  perfect  hail  of  debris  fell  upon  the  schooner's  deck 
for  a  brief  moment,  then  the  smoke  and  dust  cleared 
away,  revealing  to  our  startled  eyes  a  broad  space  of 
water  literally  covered  with  fragments  of  wood,  bits  of 
sail,  blocks  and  innumerable  other  objects. 

The  burning  Chinese  cruiser  was  gone.  The  fire  had 
at  last  reached  the  magazine. 

A  hurried  inspection  revealed  the  welcome  fact  that 
none  of  us  had  been  injured,  a  most  fortunate  escape 
under  the  circumstances. 

"I  thought  she  would  go  up  sooner  or  later,"  said 
Osaki,  rubbing  a  spot  on  his  head  which  had  been  struck 


The  Schooner  is  Saved.  217 

with  a  piece  of  falling  debris.  "Lucky  dogs  we  are  to 
have  it  postponed  until  now.  Captain,  please  get  under 
way." 

"I  will  that,  and  glad  I  am  that  I  have  a  sail  to  hoist," 
replied  the  skipper,  hurrying  forward. 

By  the  time  the  mouth  of  the  river  was  reached  we 
had  entirely  forgotten  the  explosion,  and  were  looking 
forward  to  fresh  excitement.  I  made  a  brief  note  re 
garding  the  affair,  intending  to  elaborate  it  later  on  for 
insertion  in  my  next  dispatch. 

Since  boarding  the  schooner  I  had  found  time,  despite 
the  many  thrilling  events  that  had  taken  place,  to  reach  a 
decision  having  an  important  bearing  on  my  role  as  a 
war  correspondent. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

IN    WHICH    I    RECEIVE    STARTLING    NEWS. 

It  was  nothing  less  than  a  resolution  to  carry  my  own 
message  to  Shanghai,  and  that  just  as  soon  as  the  Mes 
senger's  sails  could  waft  us  down  the  Yellow  Sea. 

First,  however,  I  intended  to  gain  the  latest  intelligence 
concerning  the  naval  battle  now  drawing  to  a  close.  By 
so  doing,  I  expected  to  be  the  first  to  send  the  news  to 
the  United  States. 

Osaki  received  my  plan  with  enthusiasm. 

"Just  the  thing !"  he  exclaimed. 

"You  don't  think  I  will  miss  any  important  battle?"  I 
asked. 

"No.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  General  Nodzu's 
army  will  not  reach  the  Yalu,  where  General  Yeh  is  en 
camped,  for  at  least  two  weeks." 

"What  is  the  cause  of  the  delay?" 

"It  seems  that  we  lost  considerable  men  at  Ping  An, 
and  then  word  has  come  from  headquarters  at  Hiroshima 
— where  the  emperor  is  now  stationed — to  await  reinforce 
ments  before  proceeding." 

"That  is  certainly  significant,"  I  remarked,  eagerly. 
"Why,  it  must  mean " 

"The  invasion  of  China  by  way  of  Moukdin,"  replied 
the  young  Japanese,  proudly. 


Startling  News.  219 

"And  it  also  means  that  within  three  or  four  months 
at  the  latest  the  flag  of  Japan  will  float  from  the  royal 
palace  of  Pekin." 

"I  truly  hope  so." 

"Thanks ;  I  know  you  do,  and  that  heartily.  Now,  my 
friend,  let  me  give  you  a  bit  of  advice,  or  what  your  peo 
ple  quaintly  call  a  'pointer.'  If  you  intend  to  visit  one 
of  the  Japanese  battleships  for  news  to-day,  conceal  your 
identity  thoroughly,  or  else  you  will  be  hauled  up  by  the 
heels." 

"I'll  go  as  a  rich  young  American." 

"I  know  a  better  disguise  than  that,"  said  Osaki,  re 
flectively.  "You  had  better  palm  yourself  off  as  the  mate 
of  this  schooner.  Don  sailor  clothing  and  take  Captain 
Roach  with  you  as  a  blind." 

"I'll  do  it,"  I  replied,  slapping  him  upon  the  back. 
"Osaki,  you  are  a  diplomat.  Now,  what  vessel  had  I  bet 
ter  tackle?" 

"The  flagship,  by  all  means.  It  is  the  only  place  you 
will  be  able  to  secure  authentic  information.  Look  up 
Commander  Sato.  He  speaks  English,  and  dotes  on 
Americans.  But,  whatever  you  do,  don't  mention  my 
name..  Ah !  the  fight  is  over.  Look  at  those  Chinese  ves 
sels,  how  they  are  scampering !  If  they  would  only  show 
as  much  energy  in  battle  as  they  do  in  retreat  we  wouldn't 
have  such  an  easy  thing  of  it." 

We  had  rounded  the  point  where  I  first  witnessed  the 
massing  of  the  rival  fleets,  and  were  now  in  a  good  posi 
tion  to  watch  the  concluding  events. 


220  Startling  News. 

There  was  not  much  to  chronicle.  We  could  see  two 
Chinese  cruisers  or  gunboats  ashore  a  short  distance  up 
the  river ;  three  others  were  in  wild  retreat  to  the  north 
ward,  and  two  battleships  were  evidently  trying  their  ut 
most  to  do  likewise. 

The  Japanese  fleet  soon  ceased  firing.  A  couple  of 
swift  cruisers  started  in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  enemy,  but 
they  returned  before  long.  As  far  as  we  could  see,  the 
Mikado's  navy  had  escaped  with  little  damage. 

In  the  course  of  a  couple  of  hours,  I  boarded  the  flag 
ship,  disguised  as  Osaki  had  suggested,  and  accompanied 
by  Captain  Roach.  We  were  regarded  with  evident  sus 
picion  at  first,  but  finally  I  succeeded  in  getting  the  gen 
eral  details  of  the  engagement,  including  a  list  of  the 
ships  of  both  fleets. 

Shortly  before  sunset  the  bow  of  the  Messenger  was 
turned  toward  the  south,  and  every  possible  stitch  of  can 
vas  spread  that  the  slender  masts  would  carry. 

The  following  morning  found  us  clear  of  the  land  and 
bowling  along  in  front  of  a  stiff  norther.  Captain  Roach 
handled  his  schooner  like  a  yacht,  and  reeled  off  the  knots 
at  the  rate  of  twelve  each  hour. 

At  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day,  the  mouth 
of  the  Yangtse  Kiang  River  was  sighted,  and  several 
hours  later  the  Messenger's  anchor  was  dropped  off  Woo- 
sung,  a  small  town  at  the  entrance  of  the  river  leading  up 
to  Shanghai. 

It  had  been  decided  that  Osaki  should  remain  in  con 
cealment  on  board  the  schooner,  while  I  was  to  make  the 


Startling  News.  221 

journey  alone.  This  precaution  was  necessary  because  of 
the  vindictive  nature  of  the  Chinese  along  the  coast. 

Securing  a  small  steam  tender,  I  soon  reached  the  for 
eign  "bund"  on  the  outskirts  of  Shanghai.  During  the 
voyage  from  the  Yalu,  I  had  carefully  prepared  my  dis 
patches,  and  was  entirely  ready  to  send  them  off  just  as 
soon  as  I  could  communicate  with  my  agent. 

I  had  no  trouble  in  finding  him.  A  small  sign  over  one 
of  the  most  pretentious  counting  houses  lining  the  main 
street  told  me  that  the  firm  of  "Walton  &  Company"  could 
be  interviewed  within. 

My  card — which  I  had  carried  through  all  my  adven 
tures — proved  an  open  sesame  to  Mr.  Walton's  inner  of 
fice.  I  found  an  old,  gray-haired  man,  with  a  complexion 
as  yellow  as  any  Chinaman's,  seated  at  the  principal  desk. 

He  cleared  the  room  of  his  secretary  and  clerks,  and 
motioned  me  to  a  chair.  Then  scrutinizing  me  closely,  he 
asked,  with  a  peculiar  smile: 

"Is  it  possible  you  are  the  special  war  correspondent 
of  the  Consolidated  Press  Association  of  the  United 
States?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  I  replied,  modestly.  "That  is  my  position 
by  the  grace  of  Mr.  Jared  Parker." 

"Humph!  you  are  over  young  for  such  delicate  work. 
I  am  afraid  Mr.  Parker  has  made  a  mistake." 

I  felt  my  blood  go  in  a  wave  to  my  face  at  this  cool  rev 
mark. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,"  I  replied,  endeavoring  to  keep 
my  temper,  and  finding  it  a  very  hard  task.  "I  beg  your 


222  Startling  News. 

pardon,  sir,  but  do  you  speak  with  authority,  or  is  it  sim 
ply  your  private  opinion?" 

"Tut!  tut!  young  man,  don't  try  to  be  sarcastic,"  re 
torted  Mr.  Walton,  reaching  for  a  paper  nestling  in  one 
of  the  pigeon-holes  of  his  desk.  "I  have  a  short  cable 
gram  here  from  New  York  addressed  to  you.  I  have 
also  received  several  recent  messages  from  Parker  this 
very  morning." 

"Concerning  me?"  I  queried,  with  some  foreboding. 

"Yes,  concerning  one  Stanley  Bennett,  special  corre 
spondent  of  the  Press  Association.  Before  I  deliver  it, 
however,  I  want  to  ask  you  if  you  have  any  dispatches 
for  transmittal  to  New  York?" 

For  answer  I  silently  handed  him  a  package  containing 
<letails  of  my  adventures,  and  a  thrilling  account  of  the 
battle  of  the  Yalu.  He  hastily  scanned  the  manuscript 
and  then  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an  exclamation  of  ex 
citement. 

"The  Japs  and  Chinese  did  fight,  after  all,  eh  ?  And  you 
have  full  particulars  here?  Good!  Only  the  most  mea 
ger  information  has  reached  the  outside  world  concerning 
the  affair.  This  must  go  at  once." 

Ringing  a  bell  he  gave  the  papers  to  a  clerk,  and  bade 
him  convert  it  into  the  proper  cipher  at  once.  Then 
again  turning  to  me,  he  added,  meaningly : 

"That  dispatch  will  go  far  toward  restoring  you  to 
Parker's  good  graces,  my  boy." 

"His  good  graces  ?"  I  echoed,  in  bewilderment.  "What 
do  you  mean,  sir?  What  has  happened?" 


"I  aimed  a  blow  at  the  nearest  of  the  enemy."    See  page  81. 


Startling  News.  223 

"It  is  not  what  has  happened,  but  what  did  not  happen. 
Your  description  of  the  battle  of  Ping  An,  sent  from 
Yokohama  on  the  twenty-first  of  September,  was  behind 
a  similar  account  published  by  the  British  Press  Associa 
tion  just  forty-eight  hours!" 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

IN  WHICH   WE  ARE  BOARDED  BY  AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE. 

"Impossible!" 

"Not  so— a  fact." 

"But  the  English  correspondent  was  with  me  during 
and  after  the  fight,"  I  insisted,  utterly  dumfounded  by  the 
news. 

"Then  you  know  him?" 

"Yes,  his  name  is  Alfred  Montague  Forbes.  I  would 
stake  my  life  that  he  did  not  send  a  dispatch  concerning 
the  Ping  An  affair.  It  is  simply  impossible." 

"Impossible  or  not,  details  of  the  fight,  written  on  the 
scene,  were  received  and  published  in  London  forty-eight 
hours  before  your  message  reached  New  York." 

"Then  mine  was  delayed  on  the  way,"  I  exclaimed, 
firmly. 

Mr.  Walton  gave  a  brief  chuckle. 

"No,  even  that  consolation  is  denied  you,  my  young 
friend.  Your  dispatch  was  dated  at  Ping  An  on  the  six 
teenth  of  September,  it  was  sent  from  Yokohama  on  the 
twenty-first,  and  received  in  New  York  the  following 
morning." 

"And  the  English  dispatch  ?"  I  asked  breathlessly. 

"Was  sent  from  Shanghai  on  the  nineteenth." 

"From  Shanghai  ?    Great  Greeley !  how  could  that  hap- 


We  are  Boarded.  225 

pen  ?"  I  cried,  in  amazement.  "Forbes  hadn't  the  slight 
est  chance  of  dispatching  a  message  during  the  battle, 
and  not  before,  in  my  opinion.  Good  heavens!  this  is 
simply  terrible.  And  I  thought  I  had  scored  a  'beat'  too." 

"You  have  with  this  last  cablegram,  my  boy,"  replied 
Mr.  Walton.  "I  am  an  old  newspaper  man  myself,  and 
I  can  just  see  how  large  a  feather  it  will  be  in  your  cap. 
Why,  it'll  be  a  whole  feather  duster,  ha !  ha !  ha !" 

I  joined  in  his  laugh,  but  it  was  a  hollow  mockery.  The 
astounding  news  had  taken  all  the  enthusiasm  from  me. 
The  mystery  of  the  affair  also  worried  me.  How  it  was 
possible  for  Forbes  to  circumvent  me  like  that  was  simply 
unexplainable. 

"You  said  you  had  a  cable  for  me  from  Mr.  Parker,"  I 
said,  after  a  while. 

My  companion  gave  me  the  paper  in  question,  and  I 
glanced  at  it  in  a  listless  manner.  It  was  sharp  and  to  the 
point — a  characteristic  of  all  the  eminent  editor's  manu 
scripts. 

It  read,  simply : 

Your  Ping  An  dispatch  two  days  behind  British  Association. 
This  will  not  do.  Am  disappointed  by  your  failure.  If  better 
work  is  not  shown  by  October  first,  expect  your  recall. 

PARKER. 

"Well,  he'll  have  to  acknowledge  that  I  am  doing  bet 
ter  work,"  I  said  to  Mr.  Walton,  with  a  forced  laugh. 

"You  are,  and  I  think  you  will  receive  a  message  of 
commendation  by  to-morrow  morning." 

"I  will  not  be  here  over  night,"  I  replied,  firmly.  "I 
will  sail  for  Corea  this  evening  at  the  latest." 


226  We  are  Boarded. 

"That's  the  proper  spirit,  my  young  friend,"  exclaimed 
my  companion,  heartily.  "Don't  let  the  grass  grow  under 
your  feet,  and  you'll  get  along.  By  the  way,  you  haven't 
explained  how  you  managed  to  reach  Shanghai,  nor  how 
you  discovered  the  identity  of  the  British  correspondent. 
Just  make  yourself  at  home,  and  spin  your  yarn.  I'll 
order  tea,  and  we'll  have  a  comfortable  chat." 

I  placed  him  in  possession  of  all  the  facts  in  the  case, 
not  omitting  a  single  detail.  He  listened  with  the  greatest 
interest,  and  was  pleased  to  compliment  me  on  my  actions. 

"You  are  not  to  blame  in  that  Ping  An  affair,"  he  said. 
"I  can  see  that  plainly.  There  is  some  mystery  about  it 
which  you  will  do  well  to  solve  on  your  return  to  Corea. 
So  the  English  correspondent  is  dead,  eh  ?" 

"I  am  almost  positive  he  could  not  have  escaped.  It 
was  only  by  a  hair's  breadth  that  I  managed  to  get  away 
from  General  Yeh's  camp." 

"Now,  what  are  your  future  plans  ?" 

"I  will  charter  the  schooner  for  an  indefinite  period,  and 
use  her  as  a  messenger  between  the  seat  of  war  and 
Shanghai.  You  can  therefore  expect  dispatches  every 
week  or  so." 

"Good.  A  first-class  idea.  Now  you  must  need 
some  money.  Here  is  a  package  of  Japanese,  Chinese 
and  Corean  coins,  and  five  thousand  dollars  in  Amer 
ican  gold.  That  should  see  you  through  for  a  while. 
Just  sign  this  receipt." 

"You  intend  keeping  the  news  of  the  Yalu  naval 
battle  a  secret,  do  you  not?"  I  asked,  after  affixing  my 
name  to  the  document  in  question. 


We  are  Boarded.  227 

"Certainly.  It  will  never  do  to  let  it  out  until  it  is 
published  in  the  Association  papers.  To  do  otherwise 
would  spoil  your  'beat.'  I  hope  you  score  many  more 
before  the  war  is  over." 

I  heartily  echoed  the  wish.  After  a  few  moments 
of  further  conversation  I  took  my  leave,  and  in  the 
course  of  a  couple  of  hours  boarded  the  schooner. 
Captain  Roach  had  gone  ashore  to  purchase  a  sup 
ply  of  fresh  provisions,  but  Osaki  was  waiting  in  the 
little  cabin. 

During  the  trip  down  the  river  in  the  tender  I  had 
gone  over  my  interview  with  Mr.  Walton,  especially 
that  part  referring  to  the  Ping  An  dispatch.  The  fail 
ure  was  a  sore  disappointment  to  me,  as  I  had  antici 
pated  receiving  great  credit  for  early  news. 

Instead,  my  reward  was  Mr.  Jared  Parker's  curt 
cablegram.  I  had  no  fear  of  being  recalled — the  Yalu 
news  would  prevent  that — but  still  the  sting  of  being 
found  wanting  remained  with  me,  and  it  was  with  a  very 
downcast  face  that  I  greeted  the  young  Japanese  officer. 

"What  in  the  deuce  has  happened?"  he  asked,  after 
welcoming  me.  "Has  your  Press  Association  failed?" 

"No,  but  I  have,  Osaki,"  I  replied,  gloomily. 

"Good  Heavens!  explain  yourself,  old  fellow;  you 
frighten  me." 

I  silently  handed  him  Parker's  message,  and  watched 
his  countenance  while  he  read  it.  He  finished  with  a 
prolonged  whistle. 

"Impossible!"  he  exclaimed. 

"Not  so — a  fact!"  I  replied,  unconsciously  echoing 


228  We  are  Boarded. 

Mr.  Walton's  words.  "The  news  of  the  battle  was 
sent  from  the  field  at  Ping  An  to  London  by  way  of 
Shanghai,  just  two  days  before  my  message  was  dis 
patched  from  Yokohama." 

"If  that  is  the  case,  Forbes  must  have  been  an 
adept  at  cunning.  Why,  he  was  with  us  during  the 
last  of  the  fight,  and  was  captured  with  you  before  the 
surrender  of  the  citadel.  My  boy,  there  is  a  mystery 
somewhere." 

"So  I  think  myself,"  I  replied.  "And  I  intend  to  solve 
it  if  possible.  If  poor  Forbes  is  alive,  and  we  meet 
him  again,  I'll  have  an  understanding  just  to  satisfy  my 
curiosity." 

"When  do  you  wish  to  sail?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  Captain  Roach  can  get  under  way. 
The  quicker  the  better.  We  will  return  to  the  Yalu 
River  and  try  to  reach  the  vicinity  of  General  Yeh's 
camp." 

An  hour  later  the  worthy  skipper  of  the  Messenger 
arrived  on  board  with  a  quantity  of  stores.  With 
Osakt  as  a  witness,  I  chartered  his  craft,  and  paid  him 
the  first  installment. 

The  arrangement  of  a  reliable  means  of  carrying  my 
dispatches  removed  a  great  load  from  my  mind,  and  I 
at  last  felt  that  I  could  do  satisfactory  work  for  my 
employers. 

Shortly  before  dark  the  anchor  was  hoisted,  and  we 
stood  slowly  toward  the  broad  mouth  of  the  Yangste 
Kiang  River.  We  had  hardly  gained  headway,  when 
Osaki,  who  was  standing  near  the  wheel,  called  out 


We  are  Boarded.  229 

that  a  tender  was  approaching  us  with  a  signal  in  its 
bow.  A  brief  period  later  the  pigmy  steamer  puffed 
alongside,  and  a  man  clad  in  European  clothing  sprang 
over  the  schooner's  low  bulwarks.  I  gave  the  new 
comer  a  startled  glance  of  recognition,  and  then  turned 
to  Osaki  with  a  cry  of  amazement. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

IN    WHICH     JACK     BUNCE    BECOMES     EXCITED. 

There  was  good  reason  for  surprise.  The  newcomer 
who  had  boarded  us  from  the  tender  was  none  other 
than  Jack  Bunce  !  There  he  stood,  with  the  same  genial 
smile  on  his  good-humored  face,  and  with  outstretched 
hand  awaiting  a  welcome. 

He  received  it. 

Osaki  and  I  greeted  him  with  the  utmost  heartiness. 
I  seized  one  hand,  while  the  young  Japanese  grasped 
the  other.  After  working  them  for  a  moment  like  verita 
ble  pump-handles,  we  discharged  a  volley  of  questions 
at  him. 

"Great  Greeley !  this  can't  be  you,  Jack !"  I  exclaimed. 

"You  are  dead,  man!"  shouted  Osaki.  "You  were 
blown  to  pieces  near  Ping  An.  Get  thee  back  to  thy 
grave !" 

Bunce  gave  a  credible  imitation  of  a  jig,  and  then 
laughed  so  boisterously  that  the  watch  below  tumbled 
up  from  the  forecastle. 

"Dead,  eh?"  he  cried.  "Not  much.  Old  Jack  Bunce 
hasn't  signed  articles  for  a  cruise  to  Davy  Jones'  locker 
yet  awhile.  My,  but  I'm  glad  to  meet  you  fellers.  I 
thought  that  I'd  never  clap  my  peepers  on  this  lad  again. 
The  last  I  saw  of  him  he  was  a-sailing  down  the  Tatong 
River  like  a  clipper  ship." 


Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited.          231 

"But  I  escaped  all  right,"  I  laughed,  "and  I  am  glad 
to  see  that  you  did  also.  When  I  saw  that  shell  burst 
at  your  feet  on  that  pontoon  bridge,  I  gave  you  up. 
How  in  the  deuce  did  you  escape?" 

"That'll  be  a  long  story,  so  we  had  better  drop  an 
chor  for  an  hour  or  so,"  spoke  up  Osaki.  "We  don't 
want  to  carry  Jack  out  of  his  way." 

"Just  you  keep  the  mudhook  where  it  is,"  replied  the 
ex-man-o'-war's-man.  "I'm  going  with  you." 

"But  we  are  bound  for  Corea,"  I  said. 

"So  am  I,"  chuckled  Jack.  "That's  why  I  chased  you 
all  the  way  from  Shanghai  in  that  tender.  But  I'll  ex 
plain  that  later.  Now,  I  want  to  ask  you  if  you'll  give 
a  friend  a  passage  on  your  hooker?" 

"With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,  old  fellow.  There  is 
nothing  I  would  like  better  than  to  have  your  com 
pany." 

After  bidding  Captain  Roach  keep  on  his  course,  I 
led  the  way  aft  to  the  cabin.  Jack's  luggage — an  atten 
uated  bag — had  been  tossed  aboard  shortly  after  its  owner 
had  made  his  unexpected  appearance. 

"Now,  just  make  yourself  comfortable  and  spin  your 
yarn,"  invited  Osaki,  placing  several  chairs  around  the 
table. 

Jack  carefully  filled  his  pipe,  and,  after  a  few  prelim 
inary  whiffs,  began  his  story. 

"To  commence,  I  want  to  say  that  shell  didn't  kill 
me,  but  it  came  mighty  near  it.  When  Bennett  here 
missed  stays  with  his  oar,  the  boat  swung  around  and 
pitched  me  onto  the  pontoon  bridge.  I  saw  him 


232          Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited. 

a-whirling  down  stream,  and  I  started  for  shore,  in 
tending  to  follow  him  along  the  bank.  Before  I 
reached  the  end  of  the  bridge  a  shell  came  sailing  along 
and  exploded  just  in  front  of  me." 

"Right  at  your  feet,"  I  murmured. 

"It  knocked  me  silly,"  continued  Bunce.  "When  I 
came  to,  I  was  lying  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  half  in  and 
half  out  of  the  water.  I  got  on  my  feet,  and  walked  a 
dozen  paces  and  then  tumbled  down  again  in  a  dead 
faint.  Now  comes  the  strangest  part  of  it.  When  I 
recovered  my  senses  again,  I  was  in  a  bunk  on  board  a 
steamer  out  at  sea." 

"Jove!  I  should  think  that  was  queer,"  remarked 
Osaki.  "How  in  the  deuce  did  you  get  there?" 

"I'm  blessed  if  I  know.  They  told  me  that  I  had 
rowed  aboard  in  a  town  called  Kiang  Tsiu,  and  then 
got  to  raving  so  that  it  took  five  men  to  hold  me." 

"Brain  fever,"  I  remarked,  exchanging  glances  with 
the  young  Japanese. 

"That's  what  it  must  have  been,"  agreed  the  latter. 
"But  fancy  him  walking  all  the  way  to  Kiang  without 
being  picked  up!" 

"Yes,  and  to  board  a  steamer  in  the  same  harbor  you 
visited." 

"It  was  a  queer  experience,"  said  Jack,  with  a  remi 
niscent  puff  of  his  pipe.  "The  people  treated  me  first- 
class.  I  was  doctored  by  their  captain  as  if  I  was  a 
cabin  passenger.  When  we  reached  Shanghai  they 
made  up  a  purse  for  me." 

"How  did  you 'happen  to  find  us?"  I  asked,  curiously. 


Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited.          233 

"Help  of  Providence,  I  guess.  I've  been  loafing 
around  Shanghai  for  almost  two  weeks  waiting  a  chance 
to  get  back  to  Corea." 

"Looking  for  more  fighting,  I  presume,"  smiled 
Osaki. 

"That's  what.  Well,  this  noon  I  was  walking  along 
the  wharf  when  I  happened  to  see  a  tender  passing  by 
down  the  river.  I  recognized  Bennett  in  the  stern- 
sheets,  and  yelled  to  him  to  stop." 

"I  didn't  hear  you." 

"I  know  you  didn't,  and  the  fact  made  me  almost 
crazy.  I  tried  my  best  to  secure  a  boat  to  follow  you, 
but  it  was  most  an  hour  before  I  succeeded.  I  knew 
that  you  must  have  a  vessel  down  around  Woosung, 
and  I  whooped  it  up  like  sixty,  afraid  that  you'd  sail  be 
fore  I  caught  you." 

"Jack,  you  have  had  an  adventure  worth  writing  up," 
remarked  the  young  Japanese.  "It's  certainly  a  most 
remarkable  experience.  Stanley,  why  don't  you  em 
body  it  in  one  of  your  dispatches?" 

I  saw  Bunce  give  me  a  quick  glance  as  if  in  surprise. 
He  was  ignorant  of  my  true  identity,  but  I  could  see 
no  reason  for  concealing  the  fact  from  him.  He  was 
a  good  fellow,  and  evidently  as  honest  as  the  day  is 
long.  Anyway,  Osaki  had  "let  the  cat  out  of  the  bag," 
as  the  saying  goes,  so  I  resolved  to  take  the  sailor  into 
my  confidence. 

"What  do  you  think  I  am  doing  around  here,  Jack?" 
I  asked,  with  a  smile. 


234          Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited. 

"Looking  for  fun,  like  me,  I  suppose.  Leastwise,  that 
is  what  you  told  me  up  in  Corea,"  replied  Bunce. 

"Hardly  that.  I'm  gathering  news  for  an  American 
press  association." 

The  ex-man-o'-war's-man  half  rose  from  his  chair, 
then  he  settled  back  and  laughed  until  the  tears  came 
into  his  eyes.  I  was  somewhat  taken  aback  by  his  pe 
culiar  actions,  and  for  the  life  of  me  could  not  under 
stand  the  cause  of  his  mirth. 

"What  in  the  deuce  is  the  matter?"  asked  Osaki, 
wonderingly.  "Where's  the  joke?" 

"One  of  them  newspaper  fellers,  and  I — I  thought  he 
was  a  rich  young  traveler  all  the  time,"  replied  Jack, 
wiping  his  eyes.  "Oh,  you  can  pull  the  wool  over  me 
any  time.  Why,  you  are  on  the  same  lay  as  that  Eng 
lish  chap,  Forbes." 

"Yes,  I  am  of  the  same  profession,"  I  said. 

"What  became  of  that  feller?  He  and  me  didn't 
hitch  worth  a  cent,  you  know." 

This  question  necessitated  a  long  explanation. 
When  Jack's  curiosity  was  satisfied,  we  adjourned  to  the 
upper  deck  and  found  that  the  schooner  had  dropped 
the  Chinese  coast  astern. 

"How  did  you  happen  to  run  across  this  tidy  craft?" 
asked  Bunce,  after  a  while.  "She's  a  regular  clipper." 

"She  picked  me  up  off  the  Yalu  River,"  I  replied;  then, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  I  added : 

"By  the  way,  I  haven't  told  you  about  the  great  naval 
battle  between  the  Japanese  and  Chinese  up  there, 
have  I?" 


Jack  Bunce  Becomes  Excited.  235 

The  effect  of  this  entirely  unimportant  remark  was 
wonderful.  The  sailor  jumped  as  if  he  had  been  shot. 
His  face  flushed,  and  he  gasped  forth,  in  a  half-strangled 
voice : 

"A  naval  battle  ?  Fought  between  the  Japs  and — and 
pigtails  near  the  Yalu.  You  are  fooling  me,  Bennett — 
for  Heaven's  sake,  say  that  you  are  fooling  me !" 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

IN    WHICH    WE    HEAR    GOOD    NEWS    AND    ARE    PLACED    IN 
JEOPARDY. 

I  looked  at  the  man  in  profound  amazement.  What 
on  earth  could  be  the  cause  of  his  excitement?  I 
glanced  at  Osaki;  he  was  as  dumfounded  as  myself. 
Before  I  could  speak,  Bunce  became  calm  again. 

He  bit  his  lip,  seemed  heartily  ashamed  of  himself, 
and  said,  with  a  sheepish  laugh : 

"Don't  mind  me,  fellows.  It's  my  head,  I  guess. 
Since  that  shell  gave  me  a  rap  on  the  cranium  I  have 
been  subject  to  sudden  spells  of  excitement.  Yor.r 
mentioning  that  naval  battle  brought  it  on,  I  suppo?  :. 
But  is  it  true  ?  Was  it  an  important  fight  ?" 

"Very  important,"  I  replied.  "It  is  the  greate?: 
naval  battle  that  has  been  fought  for  many  years.  The 
Chinese  fleet  was  almost  annihilated." 

"Yes,  and  the  Celestial  navy  was  far  superior  to 
ours,"  broke  in  Osaki.  "They  had  a  greater  weight  of 
ships,  more  guns,  and  more  men,  but  we  sent  them 
flying  like  cowards." 

For  some  mysterious  reason,  Jack  Bunce  looked  ex 
tremely  miserable.  He  tried  to  change  the  subject  with 
a  few  careless  words,  but  his  long  face  and  general  air 
of  dejection  indicated  that  he  was  ill  at  ease — for  all  the 
world  like  a  man  who  had  received  extremely  bad  news. 


We  Hear  Good  News.  237 

Strolling  aft  to  the  rail,  he  glanced  toward  the  fast- 
receding  shores  of  China  in  a  wistful  manner.  Then 
suddenly  returning  to  where  Osaki  and  I  were  standing, 
he  said,  abruptly: 

"Bennett,  I  feel  that  I  am  making  a  mistake  by  going 
back  to  Corea.  This  head  of  mine  needs  tending  to, 
and  I  ought  to  have  medical  treatment.  Would  it  be 
possible  for  you  to  put  me  ashore  in  Shanghai  again?" 

"I  am  afraid  not,  Jack,"  I  replied,  gravely.  "I  must 
reach  the  Yalu  as  quickly  as  possible.  There  may  be 
a  conflict  between  the  two  forces  at  any  moment,  and  I 
must  be  there  to  report  it  for  my  employers." 

"Nonsense,  old  fellow!"  exclaimed  Osaki,  addressing 
the  downcast  sailor.  "You  are  all  right.  Another 
scrimmage  or  two  will  clear  the  cobwebs  from  your 
brain.  Don't  back  down  like  that." 

"I  will  promise  to  send  you  back  on  this  craft  in  a 
week  or  so,"  I  said.  "I  want  to  add  some  particulars  to 
my  dispatch  about  the  naval  engagement,  and  I  may 
have  Captain  Roach  return  to  Shanghai  at  once." 

"Then  you  have  cabled  the  fight?"  asked  Jack,  rather 
hoarsely. 

"Yes,  this  morning.  It  will  be  published  in  to-mor 
row's  papers." 

Before  I  could  ask  why  he  wished  the  information,  he 
walked  away  and  vanished  down  the  cabin  companion- 
way.  Osaki  and  I  talked  over  his  strange  actions  for 
a  while,  but  we  could  see  no  other  reason  than  the  one 
advanced  by  Jack  himself. 

"It's  the  effect  of  the  explosion,"  said  the  young  oflfi- 


238  We  Hear  Good  News. 

cer,  decisively.  "A  piece  of  shell  must  have  glanced 
from  his  head,  giving  him  a  blow  sufficient  to  affect  his 
brain.  It's  a  pity,  as  he  is  such  a  good  fellow." 

During  the  following  five  days  Bunce  was  rather  re 
served,  but  at  last  he  regained  his  old  genial  manner, 
and  once  more  became  the  careless,  happy-go-lucky 
sailor  we  liked  so  well. 

On  the  sixth  morning  after  leaving  Shanghai  the 
mouth  of  the  Yalu  River  was  sighted.  Until  that  time 
we  had  not  met  a  solitary  sail,  much  to  Osaki's  relief. 
But  when  the  sun  rose  on  the  last  day  the  lookout  on 
the  forecastle  reported  that  he  could  make  out  two 
steamers  hovering  around  the  entrance  to  the  river. 

"Japanese  warships,"  decided  the  young  officer  in 
stantly.  "It  is  what  I  have  dreaded.  They  are  block 
ading  the  Yalu  in  expectation  that  those  Chinese  trans 
ports  will  try  to  escape." 

"But  what  has  that  to  do  with  us  ?"  I  asked. 

"It  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  me.  They  will  search 
the  schooner  for  contraband  of  war,  and  will  find  me. 
By  this  time  I  am  posted  all  through  the  army  and  navy, 
I  suppose." 

He  spoke  with  exceeding  bitterness. 

"Then  if  that  is  the  case,  we  will  not  attempt  to  enter 
the  river,"  I  replied,  quickly.  "We  can  make  some 
small  port  below  here,  and  have  Captain  Roach  call  for 
us  in  a  given  time." 

"No,  it  won't  be  necessary  to  do  that." 

"What  plan  do  you  propose,  then?" 

"Better  decide  purty  quick/'  interposed  Jack  Bunce, 


We  Hear  Good  News.  239 

pointing  ahead.  "We'll  soon  be  within  range  of  them 
bulldogs." 

A  fresh  volume  of  smoke  pouring  from  the  funnel  of 
the  smaller  craft  indicated  that  we  had  been  seen,  and 
were  regarded  as  worth  investigating. 

"I  think  we  had  better  put  about  at  once,"  I  said, 
anxiously.  "That  nearest  fellow  is  heading  this  way." 

"It  is  too  late,"  replied  Osaki.  "I'll  hide  somewhere 
until  after  they  search  the  schooner." 

"And  I'll  follow  your  example.  News  of  my  escape 
from  the  village  near  Seoul  must  have  been  spread  broad 
cast  through  the  army  and  navy.  No  doubt  orders 
have  been  given  to  arrest  me  on  sight." 

"They  wouldn't  dare  to  touch  you  on  board  an  Amer 
ican  vessel,"  replied  the  young  Japanese,  "but  they 
might  prevent  you  landing  on  Corean  terrtitory.  I  think 
you  would  better  hide  also.  Come  below;  we'll  leave 
the  management  of  affairs  to  Jack  and  the  skipper." 

"We'll  bamboozle  them,  never  you  mind  about  that," 
chuckled  Bunce.  "I'll  tell  them  we  have  a  cargo  of  rats 
for  the  Chinese  Commissary  Department." 

"They'll  stop  you  then,"  said  Osaki,  with  a  laugh. 
"Just  say  you  are  looking  for  a  cargo.  I  think,  after 
all,  that  we  will  be  turned  away.  In  that  case,  we'll 
take  Bennett's  advice  and  call  in  at  some  small  port 
lower  down.  Ah,  there's  an  international  code  signal 
on  the  nearest  gunboat.  It's  a  polite  request  to  heave 
to." 

"What'll  we  do?"  asked  the  skipper,  nervously. 
"Obey?" 


240  We  Hear  Good  News. 

"Yes,  at  once.  Come  on,  Bennett,  we  haven't  much 
time." 

We  took  a  last  look  at  the  approaching  warships,  and 
then  dived  down  the  forecastle  hatchway.  I  had  not 
the  slightest  idea  where  Osaki  intended  to  seek  a  place 
of  concealment,  but  I  realized  that  it  must  be  thor 
oughly  secure,  as  the  Japanese  officers  would  undoubt 
edly  institute  a  strict  search. 

"I  have  had  in  mind  just  such  an  emergency,"  said 
my  companion  suddenly.  "And  I  have  provided  for  it. 
That  small  door  over  there  leads  into  the  fore  hold, 
which  has  nothing  but  ballast  in  it,  you  know.  There 
is  a  connecting  door  in  the  after  end  giving  access  to 
the  cabin.  We'll  remain  here  until  we  hear  them  com 
ing,  then  walk  into  the  hold.  While  they  are  searching 
one  part  we  can  skip  into  another." 

"It'll  work  if  they  don't  scatter  their  men,"  I  replied, 
dubiously. 

As  no  better  plan  occurred  to  us,  we  were  compelled 
to  try  it  Presently  we  heard  a  boat  rub  against  the 
schooner's  side,  then  a  murmur  of  voices  floated  down 
the  hatch.  After  a  while  we  caught  the  sound  of  ap 
proaching  footsteps. 

It  was  time  to  move.  After  bidding  one  of  the  sail 
ors  pile  a  lot  of  old  ropes  against  the  little  door,  we 
passed  through  and  closed  it  behind  us.  A  few  mo 
ments  later  the  forecastle  was  invaded  by  the  search 
party. 

We  crept  close  to  the  partition  and  listened.  One  of 
the  Japanese  naval  officers  was  speaking  to  Jack  and 


We  Hear  Good  News.  241 

Captain  Roach.  At  first  the  words  were  indistinct,  but 
finally  we  made  out  the  purport. 

"It  is  our  duty  to  search  your  vessel  for  contraband 
articles,"  came  faintly  to  our  ears.  "I  am  very  sorry 
to  put  you  to  all  this  trouble,  but,  really,  your  presence 
in  this  part  of  the  world  is  very  queer,  to  say  the  least." 

"You  can  look  at  all  you  please,  Mister  Officer,"  re 
plied  Bunce,  aggressively,  "but  you'll  have  your  trouble 
for  your  pains.  We  are  cruising  around  looking  for  a 
cargo  of  that  there  paper  plant  what  grows  in  this  part 
of  Corea,  and  without  you  stop  us  we'll  git  some  of  it." 

"I  am  afraid  you  will  find  it  hard  work  to  obtain  per 
mission  from  the  admiral  to  enter  the  Yalu,"  said  the 
officer;  "but  you  can  try  after  we  finish.  By  the  way, 
one  of  our  prisoners  captured  ashore  here  yesterday  says 
he  saw  a  white  man — either  an  Englishman  or  an  Amer 
ican — in  a  camp  a  short  distance  above  Wi-Ju." 

"Forbes,  by  all  that's  wonderful !"  I  exclaimed,  aloud. 

"Sh-h-h  !"  warned  Osaki.  "For  Heaven's  sake,  don't 
make  a  noise ;  they'll  hear  you." 

His  caution  came  too  late.  My  exclamation  had 
reached  the  sharp  ears  of  the  Japanese  officer,  and  be 
fore  we  could  retreat  to  the  other  end  of  the  hold,  the 
little  door  was  forced  open,  revealing  us  to  the  aston 
ished  gaze  of  the  Japanese  search  party ! 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

IN    WHICH    FORBES    TURNS    UP    UNEXPECTEDLY. 

"Osaki!" 

The  name  came  from  the  lips  of  a  Japanese  officer 
standing  just  within  the  forecastle.  It  was  uttered  in 
tones  of  extreme  surprise,  and  I  saw  the  speaker  shrink 
back  as  if  confronted  by  a  ghost. 

My  companion  also  appeared  startled  for  a  moment. 
Then  he  folded  his  arms  and  replied,  quietly: 

"Yes,  Sukama,  it  is  Osaki,  the  outcast.  I  am  your 
prisoner." 

Then  happened  a  wonderful  thing.  The  commander 
of  the  search  party  turned  upon  his  men  and  sternly 
bade  them  leave  the  apartment.  After  the  last  one 
had  disappeared  up  the  hatchway,  the  officer  held  out 
both  hands  to  Osaki  with  a  gesture  of  joy. 

He  spoke  passionately  in  Japanese  for  several  min 
utes,  and  I  saw  that  his  words  had  a  great  effect  on 
my  companion.  The  latter  listened  at  first  with  an 
air  of  incredulity,  then  set  to  trembling,  and  finally 
wept. 

"Oh,  Bennett!"  he  exclaimed.  "It  has  come  at  last! 
it  has  come  at  last!  This  is  the  officer  who  was  asso 
ciated  with  me  when  my  man-of-war  ran  aground  near 
Yokohama,  and " 


Forbes  Turns  Up.  243 

"You  mean  he  is  the  one  you  saved  from  disgrace?" 
I  interrupted,  bluntly. 

"Yes,  that  is  the  actual  truth.  I  acknowledge  it, 
and  am  thoroughly  ashamed,"  spoke  up  the  officer, 
reddening. 

"That  is  all  past,  and  a  glorious  day  has  dawned 
for  me,"  interposed  Osaki.  "Sukama  brings  me  the 
news  that  I  have  been  pardoned  by  the  emperor — 
God  bless  him! — and  that  I  am  to  be  restored  to  my 
rank  in  the  navy.  It  is  all  through  Sukama's  efforts; 
he  interceded  for  me." 

"I  told  the  truth,"  gravely  replied  the  officer.  "I 
confessed  my  fault  and  was  most  graciously  forgiven." 

I  was  so  overwhelmed  with  joy  on  hearing  this  most 
welcome  news  that  I  could  not  trust  myself  to  speak. 
Grasping  Osaki's  hand,  I  wrung  it  again  and  again. 
After  a  while  we  returned  to  the  deck  to  talk  over 
matters. 

"I  couldn't  tell  you  in  a  thousand  years  how  glad  I 
am,  old  fellow,"  I  said,  to  the  young  officer.  "It  lifts  a 
great  load  from  my  mind,  but  I  must  confess  that  my  joy 
is  tinged  with  some  regret." 

"I  know  what  you  mean,"  smiled  Osaki.  "You  think 
I  intend  to  leave  you  now,  eh?  Not  so." 

And  he  did  not,  to  my  great  relief.  He  boarded 
the  gunboat  with  his  brother  officer,  returning  shortly 
with  the  announcement  that  we  could  ascend  the  Yalu 
at  once. 

"I  have  reported  to  my  superior  officer,  and  he  has 
given  me  a  month's  leave,"  he  added,  with  a  smile. 


244  Forbes  Turns  Up. 

"Square  away  there,  Captain  Roach,  and  spread  all 
the  canvas  possible." 

"Hurrah!"  shouted  Jack  Bunce,  tossing  his  cap  in 
the  air.  "Now  for  a  little  scrap.  Going  to  look  up 
that  white  man  your  friend  mentioned,  I  suppose?" 

"Yes;  I  am  positive  it  is  Forbes.  He  evidently  es 
caped  from  General  Yeh's  camp,  and  was  recaptured 
further  down  the  river  by  another  band  of  Chinese." 

This  was  also  my  opinion,  and  I  resolved  to  rescue 
the  young  Englishman  if  our  little  force  could  do  it. 
We  mustered  a  dozen  men  all  told,  and  some  of  them 
— Jack,  for  instance — were  worth  five  or  six  Celestial 
soldiers  in  fighting  qualities. 

While  on  board  the  gunboat,  Osaki  had  interviewed 
the  Chinese  prisoner,  learning  from  him  that  the  white 
captive  was  held  by  a  detached  body  of  General  Yeh's 
command,  located  in  a  small  village  several  leagues 
above  Wi-Ju. 

"He  also  told  me  that  he  was  being  cruelly  treated, 
and  made  to  labor  at  the  construction  of  earthworks," 
added  the  young  officer. 

"A  regular  slave,  I  suppose?" 

"Worse,  from  what  I  know  of  those  brutes.  I  only 
hope  the  poor  fellow  will  live  until  we  reach  the  place." 

On  the  way  up  the  river  Jack  Bunce  spent  the  most 
of  his  time  sharpening  a  couple  of  formidable  swords. 
He  toiled  at  his  self-imposed  task  until  the  weapons 
were  keen  enough  to  shave  with." 

"I  never  liked  that  feller  Forbes  much,"  he  said,  in 
explanation,  "but  I'll  be  gosh-swizzled  if  I'm  going  to 


Forbes  Turns  Up.  245 

see  him  ill-treated  by  a  lot  of  yellow  savages.  Humph! 
if  I  don't  make  a  generous  addition  to  my  collection  of 
queues,  it'll  be  because  I  have  forgotten  the  way." 

It  was  finally  decided  not  to  pass  Wi-Ju,  as  the 
Chinese  transports  were  supposed  to  be  lurking  in 
that  vicinity;  but  to  land  five  or  six  miles  below  the 
town,  and  then  make  a  detour  inland.  This  plan  en 
tailed  some  danger,  but  it  was  the  best  under  the 
circumstances. 

A  party  made  up  of  Jack,  Osaki,  four  sailors,  and 
myself  were  accordingly  landed  shortly  after  dusk,  the 
rest  of  the  crew  being  left  on  board  to  assist  Captain 
Roach  in  working  the  vessel  back  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yalu. 

The  skipper  was  given  instructions  to  return  not  later 
than  the  following  evening,  and  to  show  a  signal  con 
sisting  of  three  lights  placed  triangular  fashion  in  the 
mizzen  rigging. 

We  reached  the  bank  without  opposition,  and 
marched  direct  south  for  several  leagues.  Wi-Ju  was 
given  a  wide  berth  for  obvious  reasons,  and  about 
ten  o'clock  a  halt  was  called  in  the  vicinity  of  a  small 
town.  Its  location  led  us  to  believe  that  it  was  the 
place  indicated  by  the  Chinese  prisoner. 

A  consultation  was  held  at  once  to  determine  the 
best  method  of  attacking  the  earthworks.  Jack  pro 
claimed  loudly  his  belief  in  a  bold  rush,  but  the  rest 
of  us  considered  it  the  better  plan  to  resort  to  strategy. 
While  we  were  arguing  the  matter,  something  occurred 
which  speedily  settled  the  question. 


246  Forbes  Turns  Up. 

From  where  we  had  halted,  the  lights  of  the  village 
could  be  seen  twinkling  between  the  trees  of  a  small 
grove.  The  distance  to  the  first  house  was  not  more 
than  five  hundred  yards,  but  the  darkness  of  the  night 
rendered  our  position  safe  for  the  moment. 

I  had  just  commented  on  the  quietness  of  the  place 
when  there  suddenly  came  to  our  ears  the  sounds  of  a 
most  prodigious  hubbub.  Shouts,  shrill  yells,  the  re 
ports  of  firearms,  and  the  abrupt  flashing  of  torches 
indicated  that  some  considerable  row  was  in  progress. 

While  we  stood  in  uncertainty,  the  melee  drifted  in 
our  direction,  and  presently  a  man  crashed  through 
the  bushes  within  a  dozen  feet  of  us.  As  quick  as  a 
flash,  Jack  Boune  darted  toward  him  with  uplifted 
sword.  Before  he  could  use  the  weapon,  however,  the 
fugitive — for  such  he  was — called  out  in  a  mixture  of 
English  and  Chinese: 

"Hold  up,  there!  I  surrender!  Jove!  you  wouldn't 
kill  a  prisoner,  would  you?" 

Jack  burst  into  a  hearty  laugh,  and  rejoined  us, 
dragging  the  man  by  the  arm. 

"Here's  the  identical  chap  we're  looking  for,  mates," 
he  exclaimed.  "It's  Forbes  himself.  Ho!  ho!  to  think 
how  near  I  was  to  pinking  him." 

His  identification  of  the  young  Englishman  was  un 
necessary.  Both  Osaki  and  myself  had  instantly  rec 
ognized  the  voice  in  the  darkness.  Rushing  forward, 
we  grasped  his  hands  and  wrung  them  in  warm  wel 
come.  We  were  thoroughly  glad  to  see  Alfred  Mon 
tague,  especially  under  the  present,  circumstances, 


Forbes  Turns  Up.  247 

when  we  had  contemplated  a  lot  of  trouble  and  danger 
in  rescuing  him. 

His  sudden  appearance  was  explained  in  a  few  words. 
He  had  taken  advantage  of  the  darkness  and  the  laxity 
of  his  guards  to  make  his  escape,  and,  as  luck  would 
have  it,  had  stumbled  upon  us,  his  only  friends  in  the 
whole  peninsula. 

"No  time  to  say  more,"  he  added,  hurriedly.  "Let's 
get  away  from  here  at  once,  or  the  whole  camp  will 
be  about  our  ears.  Gad!  I  am  so  overjoyed  at  meet 
ing  you,  Bennett,  that  I  hardly  know  which  end  I  am 
standing  on.  Haste,  friends;  I  hear  those  yellow  fiends 
in  the  woods.  They  are  searching  for  me." 

Without  further  delay,  we  scudded  off  and  traveled 
away  from  the  village  for  the  better  part  of  an  hour. 
At  the  expiration  of  that  time  I  proposed  a  rest.  Cast 
ing  ourselves  upon  the  leafy  ground,  we  asked  the 
young  Englishman  for  his  story. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

CONCLUSION. 

"I  will  tell  you  first  how  I  managed  to  escape  from 
General  Yeh's  camp,"  he  began.  "I  know  that  you  are 
dying  to  ascertain  where  I  went  to  that  night,  Ben 
nett." 

"That  I  am,"  I  replied.  "It  has  been  a  great  mys 
tery  to  me.  By  the  way,  who  killed  Ghun  Sling?" 

"I  did.  The  infernal  traitor  deserved  it  if  any  one 
ever  did.  When  you  left  me  that  night  to  go  to  the 
general's  quarters,  I  waited  for  a  while  in  the  little 
tent.  Presently  hearing  the  Chinaman's  signal  as  agreed 
between  us,  I  sallied  forth  to  bid  him  wait.  On  stepping 
through  the  gateway  in  the  side  of  the  fort,  I  was  sud 
denly  attacked  by  Ghun  Sling  and  a  couple  of  soldiers. 
My  first  thought  was  of  revenge,  and  I  ran  the  scoundrel 
throught  the  heart.  As  he  fell  he  grasped  my  sword, 
carrying  it  down  with  him. 

"His  companions  sprang  upon  me,  but  I  managed 
to  thrust  them  back  and  make  my  escape  in  a  direction 
away  from  the  river.  I  walked  all  that  night,  not  dar 
ing  to  return  to  the  camp.  The  following  morning  I 
swam  the  river,  and  was  captured  by  a  band  of  Chi 
nese  before  I  had  been  an  hour  out  of  the  stream.  From 
that  moment  to  this  I  have  had  a  dog's  life,  slaving  day 
and  night  for  my  captors. 


Conclusion.  249 

"At  last  it  became  so  unbearable  that  I  could  stand  it 
no  longer.  Watching  my  chance,  I  contrived  to  elude 
my  guards  to-night,  and  here  I  am,  don't  you  know." 

"And  glad  we  are  that  you  are  alive  to  tell  the  tale," 
I  replied.  "You  have  suffered  a  great  deal,  Forbes,  but 
you  are  among  friends  at  last.  My  story  is  just  as  sen 
sational,  but  it  contains  less  hardships." 

I  described  my  adventures  since  leaving  General  Yeh's 
camp,  and  also  told  my  interested  listener  the  details  of 
Osaki's  pardon.  To  his  credit,  be  it  said  that  Alfred  was 
greatly  pleased,  and  he  congratulated  the  Japanese  youth 
with  warm  grace. 

"Did  ye  hear  any  news  from  them  fellers  in  the  camp  ?" 
suddenly  asked  Jack  Bunce.  "I  feel  kind  of  disappointed 
that  we  failed  to  stir  up  a  scrap  to-night.  P'raps  we  can 
run  across  a  little  row  somewhere  around  here." 

"By  Jove!  that  reminds  me/'  returned  the  English 
correspondent.  "There  is  going  to  be  a  fight  up  the  river 
to-morrow  morning.  From  certain  words  I  overheard 
in  the  camp,  I  believe  that  the  Japs  will  attack  General 
Yeh's  stronghold  at  daybreak.  It  is  bound  to  be  a  lively 
battle,  and  I  would  like  to  see  it." 

"So  say  we  all,"  shouted  Jack,  springing  to  his  feet. 
"Where  is  this  place  ?  Quick !  let's  get  on  the  road. 
They  may  be  scrapping  even  now,  and  here  we  are,  loaf 
ing  around  like  a  parcel  of  coolies.  Whoop !  come  on." 

Osaki  and  myself  were  equally  eager,  so  it  was  not  long 
before  we  had  set  out  toward  the  northeast.  The  sailors 
from  the  schooner  were  more  than  willing  to  accompany 
us.  Shortly  before  sunrise  we  heard  the  sounds  of  heavy 


250  Conclusion. 

firing  in  advance.  It  spurred  us  to  greater  exertion,  and 
we  speedily  reached  the  scene  of  the  battle. 

The  Japanese  brigades  were  in  the  act  of  crossing  the 
Yalu.  A  part  had  reached  the  opposite  side,  and  were 
engaged  with  the  defenders.  I  saw  the  forts  and  bat 
teries  erected  under  my  supervision  swarming  with  Ce 
lestial  soldiers,  who  made,  however,  only  a  half-hearted 
resistance  to  the  enemy. 

As  a  matter  of  precaution,  we  selected  a  rendezvous  in 
case  we  were  separated,  and  then  crossed  the  river  in  one 
of  the  numerous  boats  prepared  by  the  Japanese.  Five 
minutes  later  we  were  in  the  thick  of  the  fight.  Shortly 
after,  I  found  myself  alone,  in  front  of  an  earthwork,  my 
companions  having  vanished  in  the  excitement  of  the  mo 
ment. 

The  battle  lasted  until  noon,  and  ended  in  the  complete 
defeat  of  General  Yeh  and  his  cohorts.  After  securing 
a  number  of  details,  I  left  the  camp  and  reported  at  the 
rendezvous.  Osaki  and  the  American  sailors  were  al 
ready  there,  and  before  very  long  Forbes  came  limping 
up.  That  he  had  been  wounded  was  plainly  evident. 

"I  have  received  a  nasty  shot  in  my  right  hip,  fellows," 
he  said,  faintly.  "A  Japanese  nurse  dressed  it,  and 
wanted  me  to  go  with  him  to  the  field  hospital,  but  I 
thought  it  best  to  rejoin  you.  I  wish,  however,  that  we 
could  board  your  schooner,  where  I  could  get  a  little 
rest." 

"We  shall,  and  at  once,"  I  exclaimed,  warmly.  "We'll 
borrow  one  of  these  boats  and  drop  down  the  river  with- 


Conclusion.  251 

out  delay.  But  I  think  you  had  better  see  a  doctor. 
Hello !  where  are  you  going  ?" 

The  question  was  caused  by  a  sudden  action  on  Osaki's 
part.  He  had  started  away  without  a  word.  Waving  his 
hand  to  me,  he  called  out  from  a  distance : 

"Going  to  hunt  up  a  surgeon.  Will  bring  one  back 
in  a  moment,  old  fellow.  That  youth  can't  leave  here 
without  being  properly  attended  to." 

While  he  was  gone,  I  examined  the  Englishman's 
wound,  and  found  that  it  was,  indeed,  serious.  Osaki 
soon  returned  with  a  Japanese  doctor,  having  met  him 
not  far  from  the  rendezvous.  The  practitioner  skillfully 
extracted  the  bullet,  and  then  prepared  a  dressing  which 
brought  immediate  relief.  He  advised  us  to  convey  the 
patient  to  Chemulpo  or  some  other  large  town  without 
delay. 

"We'll  go  just  as  soon  as  Jack  Bunce  turns  up,"  I  said. 
"Wonder  what  can  be  keeping  him !" 

"Jack  Bunce!  Why,  didn't  I  tell  you!"  spoke  up 
Forbes. 

"Tell  us  what?" 

"I  saw  the  fellow  leave  the  camp  across  there  three 
hours  ago.  He  embarked  in  a  small  boat  with  a  couple 
of  coolies,  and  disappeared  down  the  river.  When  I 
lost  sight  of  him  he  was  writing  for  dear  life  in  a  note 
book." 

I  gazed  at  the  speaker  in  profound  amazement. 

"Gone  down  the  river?  Writing  in  a  notebook?"  I 
echoed.  "Was  he  crazy?" 

"No;    as  sane  as  you  are,"  replied  the  Englishman. 


252  Conclusion. 

"I  have  had  my  suspicions  of  that  fellow  for  some  time, 
and  I  think  I  have  about  discovered  his  identity,  don't 
you  know." 

"What  do  you  mean  ?"  demanded  Osaki,  with  a  glance 
at  me. 

"I'll  tell  you  later.  But  if  you  take  my  advice,  you 
will  return  to  your  schooner  at  once." 

"We  will  do  that  for  your  sake,  old  boy,"  I  said, 
cheerily. 

"You  have  still  another  reason,"  insisted  Forbes.  "You 
would  like  to  send  an  account  to  your  newspapers  in  New 
York  without  delay.  Don't  look  at  me  like  that,  old 
fellow;  I  have  guessed  your  secret.  You  are  a  special 
war  correspondent,  and  not  an  absconder  with  your  em 
ployer's  money.  Ha!  ha!  ha!" 

"Ho!  ho!  ho!  I  can  laugh,  too,"  I  replied.  "I  dis 
covered  your  secret  in  Yokohama  over  two  months  ago. 
Do  you  remember  the  book  with  the  cipher  code,  Forbes  ? 
I  mean  the  one  you  dropped  in  the  cable  office  ?" 

The  young  Englishman  turned  white,  then  reddened 
to  his  temples. 

"What  in  the  deuce  do  you  mean,  Bennett?"  he  stam 
mered.  "My  book — the  one  I  dropped  in  Yokohama; 
what  do  you  know  about  it  ?" 

"Nothing,  except  that  I  found  it,  and  glanced  through 
the  contents  to  ascertain  the  name  of  the  owner.  It  con 
tained  a  cipher  to  be  used  in  describing  the  present  war. 
Pshaw!  what's  the  use  of  denying  it,  Forbes?  You 
know  that  you  are  the  special  war  correspondent  for  the 
British  Press  Association." 


Conclusion*  253 

To  my  amazement,  Alfred  gave  a  shout  of  laughter. 
The  sudden  exertion  caused  his  wound  to  pain,  and  he 
sank  back  with  a  grimace. 

"By  Jove!  what  a  stunner!"  he  exclaimed,  finally. 
"Why,  Stanley,  old  boy,  you  were  never  so  mistaken  in 
your  life.  Has  that  been  in  your  thoughts  all  this  time  ?" 

"It  certainly  has,"  I  replied,  emphatically.  "Why 
not?  Didn't  that  book  give  you  away?  Didn't  it  con 
tain  code  words  about  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  armies? 
If  you  are  not  a  correspondent,  what  are  you?" 

"I'll  tell  you.  I  believe  this  wound  of  mine  will  in 
capacitate  me  from  further  work  here,  so  I  won't  break 
any  promises  by  letting  you  know  my  business  out  here 
in  Corea.  I  am  not  a  war  correspondent,  but  a  special 
agent  sent  here  by  a  syndicate  of  English  capitalists 
for  the  purpose  of  keeping  track  of  events.  Then  in 
case  the  Chinese  Government  should  attempt  to  secure 
a  loan,  the  syndicate  to  which  I  belong  would  be  able 
to  tell  whether  it  would  be  safe  to  risk  it  or  not. 
As  you  can  see,  having  a  man  on  the  battlefields  is 
better  than  trusting  to  outside  reports." 

"For  Heaven's  sake,  if  you  are  not  the  English  cor 
respondent,  who  is?"  I  exclaimed,  helplessly. 

"I'll  wager  I  know,"  suddenly  remarked  Osaki.  "It 
can  be  none  other  than  our  supposed  sailor,  Jack 
Bunce!" 

"Impossible!" 

"Not  so,"  spoke  up  Forbes.  "Now  that  I  come  to 
think  of  it,  his  face  is  familiar  to  me.  He  is  not  an 
American  tar;  he  is  a  very  clever  English  newspaper 


254  Conclusion. 

man,  who  was  an  actor  in  his  time.  If  I  am  not  mis 
taken,  Jack  Bunce  is  no  other  than  Willard  Bronson, 
of  the  London  Times." 

I  stood  for  a  'moment  completely  stunned  by  this 
totally  unexpected  climax  to  my  Corean  adventures.  I 
was  overwhelmed  with  chagrin.  After  priding  myself 
on  my  shrewdness  in  discovering  the  English  corre 
spondent  in  the  person  of  poor  Forbes,  I  had  permitted 
the  real  individual  to  pull  the  wool  over  my  eyes  most 
beautifully.  It  was  simply  shameful. 

After  a  while  I  partially  recovered  my  equanimity. 
Although  laboring  in  the  dark,  I  had  contrived  to  send 
the  news  of  the  Yalu  naval  fight  before  any  other  cor 
respondent.  Bunce,  or  Bronson,  to  give  him  his  real 
name,  had  cabled  the  Ping  An  battle  before  me,  but 
the  present  affair  with  General  Yeh  would  reach  my 
employers  first,  thanks  to  my  schooner,  which 

I  had  thought  thus  far  when  like  a  flash  the  intelli 
gence  brought  by  Forbes  recurred  to  me.  He  had 
said  that  Jack  had  disappeared  down  the  river  in  a 
native  boat.  Where  was  he  bound?  It  was  undoubt 
edly  his  idea  to  speedily  reach  a  place  whence  he  could 
send  a  dispatch. 

"Perhaps — my  heavens! — perhaps  he  will  try  to  se 
cure  the  schooner,"  I  cried,  in  a  burst  of  anxiety. 
"Quick,  Osaki,  men;  get  a  large  boat  at  once.  Never 
mind  the  expense.  I'll  give  a  thousand  dollars  to  a 
native  crew  that  will  place  us  aboard  the  Messenger 
before  that  scoundrel  reaches  her." 


Conclusion.  255 

"What  under  the  sun  do  you  mean,  Bennett?"  asked 
the  young  officer,  in  bewilderment. 

I  hurriedly  explained  my  suspicions,  and  in  much 
less  time  than  it  takes  to  describe  it,  Osaki  had  darted 
off  in  search  of  a  craft.  He  presently  returned  with  the 
welcome  announcement  that  he  had  succeeded  in  en 
gaging  a  swift  boat  and  a  good  crew.  In  the  course 
of  a  half  hour  we  were  embarked  and  speeding  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  Yalu. 

Shortly  before  dusk  we  came  in  sight  of  the  point 
of  land  from  which  I  had  witnessed  the  naval  engage 
ment.  Shooting  past  it  we  rounded  into  the  sea,  and 
caught  sight  of  the  schooner  about  four  miles  to  the 
south. 

"Great  Greeley!  we  are  just  in  time!"  I  cried,  ris 
ing  to  my  feet  in  excitement.  "She's  spreading  sails! 
she's  spreading  sails!" 

"He's  aboard,"  said  Osaki,  clinching  his  hands. 
"There's  a  boat  drifting  astern.  Hasten,  men  pull  for 
your  very  lives !" 

Grasping  my  rifle,  I  fired  a  couple  of  shots  in  the  air, 
then  waved  my  cap  as  a  further  signal.  At  first  it  passed 
unnoticed,  but  presently  we  saw  the  mainsail  flutter,  and 
the  schooner  came  up  to  the  wind.  As  we  drew  nearer 
objects  became  visible  on  board. 

I  soon  caught  sight  of  two  familiar  figures  aft  near 
the  wheel.  One  was  the  squat  skipper  of  the  Messenger, 
Captain  Roach,  and  the  other  was  Jack  Bunce.  The  lat 
ter  appeared  to  be  arguing  with  the  mariner,  and  his  arms 


256  Conclusion. 

waved  about  as  if  the  speaker  was  greatly  excited.  He, 
no  doubt,  had  ample  reason  to  be. 

After  a  long  and  steady  pull  we  reached  the  side. 
Osaki  and  I  climbed  on  deck  at  the  same  time,  leaving 
Forbes  to  the  sailors.  Running  aft,  we  found  the  sup 
posed  American  Jack  Tar  standing  near  the  companion- 
way  with  his  arms  folded,  and  a  look  of  resignation  upon 
his  expressive  face. 

"What  in  the  deuce  does  this  mean?"  I  demanded,  in 
an  angry  voice.  "What  are  you  doing  here,  Bunce?" 

The  fellow  made  no  reply,  and  simply  grinned  in  my 
face.  Just  then  Captain  Roach  approached  in  a  sheepish 
manner.  Osaki  turned  on  him  with  the  intention  of  re 
proving  him,  but  he  was  forestalled  by  the  skipper. 

"Now,  don't  fly  off  the  handle,  sir,"  spoke  up  the 
mariner.  "I  see  now  that  I  have  made  a  mistake,  but  just 
you  look  at  this." 

He  extended  a  paper  which  I  grasped  and  read.  It 
was  an  order  supposedly  written  by  me,  directing  Captain 
Roach  to  sail  immediately  for  Shanghai  with  the  bearer, 
Jack  Bunce.  It  was  a  clever  forgery,  and  would  have 
deceived  even  me.  Under  /the  circumstances,  I  could  not 
blame  the  skipper  of  the  Messenger.  But  I  did  blame 
the  English  correspondent,  and  I  instantly  proceeded  to 
lay  down  the  law  to  him. 

"This  is  a  nice  way  to  treat  your  friends,"  I  said, 
warmly.  "Confound  it !  you  might  have  fought  fair,  any 
way,  and  not  sneak  off  in  this  despicable  manner." 

"The  game  is  up,  Bennett,"  replied  Bronson,  dropping 
his  rough-and-ready  manner  of  speech.  "I  see  that  you 


Conclusion.  257 

know  me.  Well,  I  have  bamboozled  you  to  the  queen's 
taste,  and  I  can  afford  to  rest  on  my  laurels.  You  got  the 
better  of  me  in  that  affair  of  the  Yalu  naval  engagement, 
but  I  scored  a  'beat'  in  the  Ping  An  battle.  I  guess  we 
are  quits." 

"Not  much,"  I  grimly  responded.  "I  intend  to  put 
you  ashore  here,  and  sail  at  once  for  the  port  to  which  you 
were  bound,  Shanghai.  If  the  wind  serves,  the  New 
York  papers  will  soon  have  a  full  account  of  to-day's 
fight,  but  I  am  greatly  afraid  our  contemporaries  of  the 
London  press  will  have  to  take  the  news  second-hand. 
Get  over  the  side  there ;  the  boat  is  waiting  for  you." 

Bronson  looked  blank.  It  was  evident  that  he  had  not 
anticipated  such  a  result.  He  glanced  ashore,  and  then 
turned  to  me  with  an  appealing  gesture. 

"I  wish  you  wouldn't  turn  me  adrift  in  such  a  place, 
Bennett,"  he  said,  gravely.  "You  can  afford  to  be  mag 
nanimous,  I  think.  Why  not  permit  me  to  accompany 
you  to  Shanghai?  I  will  give  you  my  word  to  remain 
aboard  until  you  have  sent  your  dispatches.  What  do 
you  say?" 

I  exchanged  glances  with  Osaki.  The  kind-hearted 
young  Japanese  nodded,  as  if  asking  me  to  consent.  I 
thought  a  moment,  and  then  said  to  the  Englishman : 

"I  will  give  you  permission  to  go  with  us,  Bunce,  or 
Bronson.  You  really  deserve  something  for  your  clever 
ness.  I  confess  that  you  are  the  last  person  in  Corea  that 
I  would  take  for  a  correspondent.  You  have  worked  the 
game  very  creditably,  and  if  I  have  beaten  you,  it  is  sim- 


258  Conclusion. 

ply  by  force  of  circumstances.  Come  with  us  and  wel 
come." 

During  the  voyage  to  Shanghai,  which  was  made  in  a 
short  space  of  time,  we  renewed  our  liking  for  the  talented 
correspondent.  We  could  not  help  it,  he  was  such  a  royal 
good  fellow.  I  was  tempted  to  allow  him  the  privilege  of 
telegraphing  at  the  same  time  as  myself,  but  my  duties 
to  the  Consolidated  Press  Association  forbade  it. 

On  arrival  I  found  a  cablegram  from  Mr.  Parker,  which 
read  as  follows: 

BENNETT,  Shanghai : — Description  Yalu  naval  engagement 
greatest  event  in  journalism  this  year.  Compliments.  Keep  up 
good  work.  JARED  PARKER. 

I  soon  had  my  story  of  the  Yeh  fight  burning  the  cable, 
then  I  turned  my  attention  to  other  matters.  Forbes  was 
taken  ashore  to  the  English  hospital,  where  he  still  re 
mains,  at  last  accounts,  progressing  slowly.  Bronson,  or 
Jack  Bunce,  as  I  like  to  call  him,  disappeared  one  night, 
evidently  en  route  to  the  front.  Since  then  I  have  not 
seen  his  genial  face,  but  from  the  entertaining  dispatches 
printed  in  the  English  papers,  I  know  that  he  is  still  at 
work. 

The  syndicate  sent  out  a  man  to  assist  me  shortly  be 
fore  I  returned  to  the  upper  part  of  Corea.  I  sent  him 
with  the  division  bound  for  Moukdin,  and  devoted  my 
time  to  the  naval  forces,  having  secured  permission 
through  my  very  dear  friend,  Osaki.  The  young  Jap 
anese  was  restored  to  his  full  rank,  and  distinguished 
himself  in  several  warm  engagements. 

As  I  write  these  last  words  in  a  miserable  little  hut 


Conclusion.  259 

on  the  promontory  known  as  the  Regent's  Sword,  word 
comes  from  headquarters  that  an  early  march  is  ordered 
upon  the  fortifications  at  Port  Arthur.  It  will  probably 
be  the  last  important  battle  before  winter.  If  the  Jap 
anese  are  forced  to  go  into  camp  for  the  season,  I  intend 
to  make  a  flying  trip  homeward,  if  only  to  taste  of  the 
fleshpots  of  civilization  for  a  brief  period.  Then  at  the 
expiration  of  my  leave,  I  suppose  I  will  be  compelled  to 
buckle  on  my  armor  once  more  and  sharpen  my  sword  and 
pen  for  the  fray. 

If  I  do  return  here,  I  hope  it  will  be  my  good  fortune  to 
meet  both  Alfred  Montague  Forbes  and  that  jovial  good 
fellow,  "Jack  Bunce."  It  is  a  hard  thing  to  write  when 
you  enjoy  your  theme,  but  it  must  be  said  at  last,  so,  my 
dear  readers,  good-by. 

THE    END. 


THE  BOYS'  OWN  LIBRARY 

Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth.        Price,  75  cents  per  Volume 

This  series  contains  the  best  boys'  books  written  by  the  best  authors 
for  boys.  It  is  pre-eminently  a  library  for  young  people.  The  stories  are 
of  the  bright  and  sparkling  kind,  full  of  adventure  and  not  overburdened 
with  lengthy  descriptions— in  fact,  just  the  sort  that  must  appeal  to  everj 
healthy  boy  who  is  fond  of  thrilling  exploits  and  deeds  of  heroism. 

Adventures  of  a  Telegraph  Boy,     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Arthur  Helmuth.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

Battle  and  a  Boy.     Blanche  Willis  Howard 

Boy  Boomers.     Gilbert  Patten 

Boy  Cattle  King.     Gilbert  Patten 

Boy  From  the  West.     Gilbert  Patten 

Boys  in  the  Forecastle.    George  H.  Coomer 

Butcher  of  Cawnpore.    Wm.  Murray  Graydon 

Cadet  Kit  Carey.     Lieut.  Lounsberry 

Captain  Carey.     Lieut.  Lounsberry 

Centreboard  Jim.     Henry  Harrison  Lewis 

Chased  Through  Norway.    James  Otis 

Check  Number  2J34.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

Commodore  Junk.     George  Manville  Fenn 

Cruise  of  the  Snowbird.     Gordon  Stables 

Cryptogram.     William  Murray  Graydon 

Catmur's  Cave.     F  xhard  Dowling 

Dean  Dunham.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Dick  Chiverly.     W.  H.  G.  Kingston 

Dingo  Boys.    George  Manville  Fenn 

Don  Kirk's  Mine.     Gilbert  Patten 

Ensign  Merrill.     Henry  Harrison  Lewis 

Eric  Dane.     Matthew  White,  Jr. 

Erie  Train  Boy.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Five  Hundred  Dollar  Check.    Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

From  Canal  Boy  to  President.     Horatio  Alyer,  Jr. 

From  Farm  Boy  to  Senator*     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

From  Lake  to  Wilderness.    William  Murray  Graydon 

(c  2)       Any  TOlnme  sent,  postpaid,  upon  (receipt  of  price 

STREET  &  SMITH,  PUBLISHERS,  «*  ,*   ^   NEW  YORK 


THE  BOYS'  OWN  LIBRARY 

Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth.         Price,  75  cents  per  volume 

From  Powder  Monkey  to  Admiral.  W.  H.  G.  Kingston 

From  Tent  to  White  House.    Edward  S.  Ellis 

Gay  Dashleigh's  Academy  Days.    Arthur  Sewell 

Giant  Islanders.     Brooks  McCormick 

Gold  of  Flat  Top  Mountain.    Frank  H.  Converse 

Golden  Magnet.    George  Manville  Fenn 

Golden  Rock.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

Grand  Chaco.     George  Manville  Fenn 

Guy  Hammersley.     Matthew  White,  Jr. 

Happy-Go-Lucky  Tack.    Frank  H.  Converse 

Heir  to  a  Million.    Frank  H.  Converse 

How  He  Won.     Brooks  McCormick 

In  Barracks  and  Wigwam.    William  Murray  Graydon 

Inland  Waterways.    James  Otis 

In  Search  of  an  Unknown  Race.    Frank  H.  Converse 

In  Southern  Seas*     Frank  H.  Converse 

In  the  Sunk  Lands.     Walter  F.  Bruns 

James  Braithwaite.    W.  H.  G.  Kingston 

Joe  Nichols.    Alfred  Oldfellow 

Jud  and  Joe.    Gilbert  Patten 

Kit  Carey's  Protege.    Lieut.  Lounsberry. 

Land  of  Mystery.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

Lieut.  Carey's  Luck.    Lieut.  Lounsberry 

Mark  Stanton.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Midshipman  Merrill.    Henry  Harrison  Lewis 

My  Mysterious  Fortune.    Matthew  White,  Jr. 

Mystery  of  a  Diamond.     Frank  H.  Converse 

Nature's  Young  Noblemen.    Brooks  McCormick 

Ned  Newton.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

New  York  Boy.    Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

(c  3)    "  Any  volume  sent,  postpaid,  upon  receipt  of  price 
STREET  &  SMITH,  PUBLISHERS,  j«  £   <#   NEW  YORK 


THE  BOYS'  OWN  LIBRARY 

Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth.        Price,  75  cents  per  Volume 

Old  Man  of  the  Mountain.    Geo.  H.  Coomer 

On  the  Trail  of  Geronimo.    Edward  S.  Ellis 

Perils  of  the  Jungle.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

Peter  the  Whaler.     W.  H.  G.  Kingston 

Pirate  Island.     Harry  Collingwood 

Rajah's  Fortress.    William  Murray  Graydon 

Rival  Battalions.     Brooks  McCormick 

Silver  Ship.     Leon  Lewis 

Spectre  Gold.     Headon  Hill 

That  Treasure.     Frank  H.  Converse 

Tiger  Prince.    William  Dalton 

Tom  Tracy.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Tour  of  a  Private  Car.     Matthew  White,  Jr. 

Uncle  Nat.     Alfred  Oldfellow 

Unprovoked  Mutiny.    James  Otis 

Voyage  to  the  Gold  Coast.     Frank  H.  Converse 

Walter  Griffith.     Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

War  Tiger.    William  Dalton 

Way  to  Success.    Alfred  Oldfellow 

Weathercock.    George  Manville  Fenn 

Wheeling  for  Fortune.    James  Otis 

White  Elephant.     William  Dalton 

White  King  of  Africa.    William  Murray  Graydon 

White  Mustang.     Edward  S.  Ellis 

With  Boer  and  Britisher.    William  Murray  Graydon 

Won  at  West  Point.     Lieut.  Lounsberry 

Young  Acrobat.    Horatio  Alger,  Jr. 

Young  Editor.    Matthew  White,  Jr. 

Young  Vagabond.    Z.  R.  Bennett 

(c  4)       Any  volume  sent,  postpaid,  upon  receipt  of  price- 

STREET  &  SMITH.  PUBLISHERS,  J*   Jt  &  NEW  YORK 


"Canoe  and  Camp=Fire" 


Qamp  and  Qanoe 

By  ST.  GEORGE  RATHBORNE 

In  this,  the  first 
book  in  the  series, 
the  splendid  set 
ting  of  the  story  is  in  the  woods  of  Maine.  A  grasping  uncle 
waylays  his  nephew  in  the  pine  wilderness  and  endeavors  to 
force  him  to  part  with  his  birthright.  A  sturdy  chum  conies 
to  the  rescue  just  in  time,  and  joins  hands  in  routing  the  thiev 
ing  relative. 

The  boys 
who  play 
their  parts 

in  the  second  volume  in  this  absorbing  series,  are  manly, 
whole-hearted  boys,  knowing  no  fear,  whether  set  upon  at  mid 
night  while  bivouacked  around  the  camp-fire,  or  plying  their 
paddles  in  treacherous  currents  and  menaced  by  unseen  foes  on 
shore. 

Is  the  title  of 
the  third  book  in 
the  "  Camp  and 
Canoe  Series."  It  is  a  story  of  mystery,  ill-fortune,  and  perse 
verance.  Two  manly  boys,  of  the  lake  region,  are  face  to  face 
with  an  unscrupulous  specimen  of  the  dude  type  and  a  villain 
ous  guide,  who  is  open  for  any  crime,  provided  there  are 
enough  dollars  back  of  it. 


"Paddling  Under  Palmettos" 


"The  Rival  Canoe  Boys" 


In  Cloth :  $  1 .00  per  Volume 


STREET  &  SMITH 238  wmiam  stn" 


NEW  YORK 


THE  SIX  BOOKS  IN  THIS  SERIES  ARE 
THE  SORT  THAT  MUST  APPEAL  TO 
EVERY  BOY  WHO  IS  FOND  OF  OUT 
DOOR  EXERCISE  OF  WHATEVER  KIND 

The  Rockspur  Nine 

Is  a  base-ball  tale  of  absorbing  interest,  which 
must  be  read  not  alone  for  its  story — which 
is  admirable — but  also  for  its  many  hints  on 
pitching,  catching  and  batting,  that  will  oe 
found  invaluable  to  the  boy  who  wishes  to 
shine  in  the  base-ball  world. 

The  Rockspur  Eleven 

ts,  appropriately  enough,  a  story  of  foot-ball; 
.md  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  a  yarn  more 
fascinating  to  the  healthy  boy  who  feels  at  his 
best  in  his  foot-ball  rig. 

The  Rockspur  Rivals 

The  scenes  are  those  of  winter,  and  most  of 
the  action  takes  place  on  the  ice.  Here,  too, 
there  is  much  useful  information  in  a  readable 
shape — this  time  about  ice-boats,  fancy  skat 
ing,  sleds  and  skis,  and  ice  hockey. 


Three  other  books  will  be  added  to  the  Series 
later  on.  Their  titles  are:  "The  Rockspur 
Athletes,"  "  The  Rockspur  Crew,"  and  "  The 
Boekspnr  Champions." 


ELEGANTLY  BOUND  IN  CLOTH 
Si.OC    PER    VOLUME 


Street  &  Smith,      238  William  St.,  N.  Y. 


By  St.  GEORGE  RATHBORNE 


There  are  no  more  delightful  characters  in  fiction  than 
Karl,  the  young  cowboy,  and  Cuthbert  Lee,  his  tenderfoot 
"pard,"  whose  strange  adventures  are  chronicled  in  the 
turee  volumes  which  comprise  this  series. 


In  "  Sunset  Ranch,"  which  is  the  first 
volume  in  the  "  RANCH  AND  RANGE  SERIES," 
Karl  succeeds  in  saving  from  the  clutches  of  a 
villainous  gang,  Cuthbert's  long-lost  cousin,  a 
laughing-eyed  maid  who  has  spent  most  of  her 
life  on  the  prairie.  Fascinating  in  the  extreme 
are  the  descriptions  of  Cowboy  life  as  it  was 
in  its  most  famous  days  ;  of  the  grand  round-up, 
range-riding,  night  "wrangling,"  ar  i  Indian 
horse  racing. 

The  scene  changes  to  a  lone  dug-out  in  the  pine 
woods  in  the  second  book  of  the  Series,  which  is 
called,  '*  Chums  of  the  Prairie."  There 
is  trouble  for  the  two  boys  right  along  from  the 
first  chapter,  whether  it  be  facing  death  in  a 
bear's  den,  or  brought  to  bay  by  the  gray  ter 
ror  of  the  pine. 

Third  in  the  "RANCH  AND  RANGE  SERIES" 
comes  "The  Young  Range  Riders,"  in 
which  Karl  and  Cuthbert  invade  the  land  of  the 
Montezumas,  and  find  fresh  adventure  on  a 
Mexican  ranch. 


ClOth,  EjLu.™.  $1.00 


per 
volume 


Street  &  Smith,      238  William  St.,  N.  Y. 


THE   FRANK 


School 
Stories  of 
Absorbing 
Interest 


SERIES 


T  is  not  necessary  to  introduce  the  now  famous 
Frank  Merriwell  to  the  American  boy.  His 
name,  associated  as  it  is  with  the  most  marvelous 
exploits  and  heroic  deeds,  has  been  known  and 
loved  for  years  by  countless  youths  on  the 
\ve.uern  continent.  This  is  the  first  time  that  the  Frank 
Merriwell  stories  have  appeared  in  cloth.  The  demand  for 
i  hem  in  this  form  grew  so  clamorous  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  delay  publication.  The  edition  is  a  handsome 
one,  well  illustrated,  type  good  and  large,  and  the  covers 
rre  exceptionally  fine. 

Frank  MerriweH's  School  Days 

This  is  the  title  if  the  first  book    in  the  series,  and    surely  never  were 
schooldays  so  crowded  with  fun  and  incident  as  those  of  Frank  Merriwer. 
Rlght  in  the  Beginning  he  risks  his  own  life  to  save  a  girl  in  a  battle  royai 
with  a  ma<i  dog.      But,  as  well  as  heroism,  there  is  true  sport,  as  any  boy 
will  say  who  reads  about  the  great  baseball  game  in  which  Frank  figures. 

Frank  Merriwell's  Chums 

In  ^cHition  to  the  good  fellows  who  make  life  pleasant  for  Frank  Merriwell 
in  the  period  covered  by  No.  I  of  the  series,  we  are  here  introduced  to 
several  others,  who  keep  the  ball  rolling  and  distinguish  themselves  along 
side  their  hero. 

Frank  Merri well's  Foes 

Even  the  best  of  fellows  cannot  help  making  enemies  while  jealousy  con. 
tinues  to  play  its  part  in  school  life.  Frank  is  all  that  is  manly  and  candid, 
but  there  are  enemies  in  camp,  and  he  is  frequently  called  upon  to  prove 
his  mettle  in  this  the  third  volume  in  the  series. 

"Bound  in  Cloth.    One  'Dollar. 

STREET  &  SMITH,   238  WILLIAM  ST.,  NEW  YORK 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
I 


AA    000795032    2 


